[Grizzly]

they're almost all ****; Rome was the last good one

Medieval 2 is actually pretty good. The AI is cheaty as hell, but at least with the console you can cheat back if it gets unmanageable.

It also doesn't barf with clockwork regularity like Empire.

Medieval 2 was btter then Rome IMO. Mainly because Rome was to much focused on Rome, like they had some sort of inherent awesomeness. Medieval 2 is better balanced IMO.

Romans were awesome...
But if you're looking for variety, ton of mods here.

I am very aware of mods, they are completely awesome. Strangely enough, this time it was my brother (who is not into gaming) who introduced me to Europa Barbarorum.

[Rampage]

Rome: Total War + Europa Barbarorum == WIN*

*As in it's kick@$$; I lost frequently, especially on harder difficulties.

This game really piqued my interest in ancient civilizations and caused me to waste hours and hours reading Greek historical records online.  As of now, RTW along w/ FS2 SCP are the only two games I always come back to.

[Pred the Penguin]

Same here.... at least on PC. I honestly haven't tried Europa Barbarorum though, I have enough trouble with easy battles in vanilla.