It's almost a given that any time a real-time strategy game comes out that it is inevitably followed up by an expansion pack. Now take a game like Empire Earth II, which doesn't just require a slightly split brained personality to play, but almost covers the sum total of human history and beyond. What more can you add to a game that starts in the stone age and ends in the future where mechanized warriors tromp across the battle field? Judging from The Art of Supremacy, not much can be added.

The big features that Art of Supremacy brings to the table include four new playable nationalities. Of these four, only the two African factions are worth mentioning. The new Russian and French nations are ok, but aren't different enough from the other existing nations to be regarded as "expanding." The Zulu and Maasai tribes, on the other hand, are unique and interesting. At least they are in the starting epochs. Due to the warrior culture they follow, their infantry is second to none, and their boosted morale allows them to dish out more damage while absorbing a lot. Unfortunately, this bonus is significantly diminished in more modern ages when mechanized units are preferred over infantry. By the time you reach the medieval age, these factions will feel and play pretty much like all the other. Also, as the epochs progress, the African tribes' uniqueness also diminishes as well. Eventually, their cities and units look just like the rest of them. It would have been nice to see them develop into their own distinct look, but considering they eventually play like all the other factions, the generic graphics shouldn't be too surprising.

What some people might find interesting is the new faction editor, so people can design the nation of their dreams, with a custom set of bonuses, and bring them into play. With this function, this will perhaps be the first and last expansion Empire Earth II will receive, since it makes the game so customizable that future expansions will probably feel very redundant.

The Art of Supremacy three long playing campaigns which lets you play through a sort of storyline using the Egyptian, Russian or Maasai factions. While these campaigns can be fun, the missions feel somewhat strung together, and the maps are ok, but there isn't enough to justify purchasing a whole expansion. The cut scenes are horribly grainy and not very entertaining. Not to mention the voiceovers are pretty bland. In addition to the long campaigns are some new turning points, where the player takes a side in a historic conflict and tries to rewrite history. Unfortunately, there are only two turning points included in The Art of Supremacy, made to look like four by including the different sides. Like the campaigns, these can be fun, but ultimately have very limited value.

New play modes include Tug-of-War, which sounds like a good idea until one actually plays it. Basically, there are a string of missions that both sides have to play through, and each successive win brings one closer to the foe's "home territory," in which you have the final confrontation. Each time someone loses, they gain bonuses that will give them the edge in the next round. The down side is, playing even a single game of Empire Earth II takes a long time, and stringing them together over and over again without changeup will eventually take its toll, and you'll get the feeling that things have gone on way too long.

Another new addition to multiplayer isn't necessarily for the best. Fealty allows beaten opponents to serve their conquerors by being limited to only managing the economic side of things while the conqueror plays the military units against all remaining foes. Like Tug-of-War, this initially sounds like a good idea, since it keeps players in the game, until you actually have to play as a resource gatherer when the fun is in the building and combat. Most people would probably be more content to drop into an observer mode or just start a new game altogether.

Ultimately, The Art of Supremacy brings together a smattering of interesting ideas. However, none of them feel like they've been covered as much as they can. With a game that has as much depth as Empire Earth II, a weak expansion like The Art of Supremacy gets positively buried. This expansion doesn't bring much to the table, and in the end, can be skipped.