Been playing those games since the beginning, and love each one for it's time. Of course going back can be rough (damn the Computer abuses Priests in AoEI!), but some friends and I play AoEIII quite regularly. While going back to II can be fun (Brits and Byzs), I really prefer the cards and deck aspect of III, along with the simplification of resources and gathering. Mythologies was also a great diversion, and the minor gods were obviously a template for the customization aspects in III.