AOE 3 is not like the last 2.
I have the first 2 in the AOE series. This one is not as historic, as far as I can tell. The stories aren't the same and it seems more like WarCraft than the last 2 games. Still, some of the graphics are great and the game itself is simple enough for younger audiences, despite the "T" rating. My wife also likes the background music.
This addition was nice because it had more in it than the War Chiefs, 3 story lines, as opposed to only 2. That ups the value in my book.
One drawback I do see is that it deals with the Chinese sailing to the Americas. While there is some speculation about this among historians (yes, I watch the History Channel), there still isn't enough evidence to support it. Plus the game shows them landing on an Eastern shore. Some archeologists are actually looking for a Western landing. So there's more fiction/speculation than previous iterations. If the hype dies on the Chinese bit, that sort of makes this a little mediocre.
Then there's the Indian saga. That one has a little more historical relevance to it. So to me, it was actually better.
Still, if you're into AOE, this is certainly more graphically stunning but stories are not on par with earlier versions.

Great Game to Waste Many Hours At!
I am an original Age of Empires user - back when they came out with the very first one, I had it so this review might be a little biased. I love Age of Empires and play it with friends every now and then.

This game is fairly complicated but my 11 year old brother gets it pretty well. Basically you start off with villagers and a town center. The whole goal of the game is to gather resources to build up an empire. The more wood, gold, and food you get the more people, buildings, soldiers you can create.

This game is fairly PC intensive so if you have an old system don't count on getting the full effect of the game. I have a Quad 2.4Ghz system with a Nvidia 8800GT card and with all the settings turned up the fans are going 100%. That being said, the graphics are very impressive if turned up all the way.

The Asian Dynasties Expansion pack is pretty sweet - adds the Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian countries. The way they build is completely different than how the other empires build (say the British). If you already have a British city - create a Japanese one just to try them out, you won't be disappointed. This expansion pack adds a ton of units and options to purchase while playing. Get it!

More of the Same
The Asian Dynasties is another add-on for Age of Empires (III). It turns out to be more of the same with different looking characters. Gather wood, gather food, gather coin to build up your empire so you can fight other empires for world dominance. I bought this for my 12-yr old son who got quickly bored with the game once he played it for a short time. I enjoyed it somewhat because the characters tend to speak something that sounds like the Chinese language.

No European Addtitions
Although fun, this expansion pack added only maps and civilizations, unlike the previous expansion pack "The Warchiefs". Absolutely no enhancements were made to the previous civilizations.

Awesome Expansion...
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties Expansion Pack
I thoroughly enjoyed the new civilizations and their corresponding technologies. I've played all the new single player scenarios.

I only wished the designers would have incorporated more civ-specific music.