I played AoE2, and thoroughly enjoyed it (as I have done with many such titles, including the C&C series and Stronghold).

The new thing these days with isometric games is, of course, true 3d graphics. And my goodness, AoE3 does the 3d graphics well! The animations and interactions between items are incredible. Particularly amazing is the physics acting on debris. I had guys launching cannon-balls at a wall on a cliff over a river. Chunks of debris flying off the wall bounced off the cliff and landed in the water with a "splash" sound. That's impressively satisfying!

Besides that, the gameplay is pretty good. Lots of 'stuff' to get your head round, but it's worth the effort. Some good and interesting units, and a reasonable storyline. Also some interesting quirky features that make it just different enough from the norm, while still being familiar enough to be playable.

Not finished the game yet (too busy with work!), but enjoying it so far. I'm lousy at strategy games above "easy" difficulty level, but this one is fun anyway. Definitely worth a shot.