The best part of the game is that it goes on so long. It is not a flash bang - how quick can you move your mouse and press some keys kind of a game. It allows you to play - in my case - the same campaign over many months, slowly developing a strategy, reacting to events and dealing with surprises. Even the battles have the benefit of the pause button to enable you to admire what is happening and plan your next move. Finally - any game where you can get excommed by the Pope has to be the greatest ever - an unpredictable influence on your game, what other game has that???