absolutely love the romans
On occasion fun to play, but in general, too easy

Barbarians...much more difficult, from both the economic and battlefield sides. The specialty units like the various Axmen (love those Germanian Zerkers), Chosen Swords, the best archers in the game (Chosen Archers, Foresters), and kick-ass cavalry (Noble Cav, Gothic), make Barbarian cultures more fun for me to play.

And then there's the Horse Archer cultures....