Destineer's MacSoft has announced that the second expansion pack for Age of Empires III, "The Asian Dynasties," developed by Ensemble Studios, has gone gold. Mac users and RTS fans should be delighted to hear that new playable Civilizations, new units, campaigns, game modes, and more are headed their way on August 12, this year.

Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties is rated T for Teen. The new expansion for Mac owners will be available as a Universal Binary for a suggested retail price of $29.99. The expansion pack provides new content, in addition to the introduction of playable Asian civilizations to Age of Empires III. There are new ways of winning and trading, random map styles that feature remixes of classic Age of Empires game styles, and the return of Wonders - a fan favorite gameplay element in Age of Empires II.

Available for Windows users only, the trial version of Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties features the Japanese, a new random map (Honshu), and the chance to play a new game type - King of the Hill.

Back to The Asian Dynasties for Mac, the second expansion for Age of Empires III making its way onto PPC and Intel-based machines this August, MacSoft notes a few highlights regarding the new additions. According to Applelinks, those are:

Playable Asian Civilizations: Command one of three fierce Asian civilizations: the Indians, the Chinese or the Japanese. Each features its own unique armies led by special units like Monks, Daimyo, Mansabdars and more.

Exciting New Single Player Campaigns: Play through three new campaigns with original heroes and villains and relive both Asia's most pivotal historical events and all-new original stories.

New Ways to Play Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties adds a new layer of depth to the classic Age of Empires III gameplay with the addition of the new Expert resource and Wonders of the World! Challenge your opponents with new game modes like King of the Hill, Regicide, and Treaty No-Blockade.

An Immersive World: Featuring eleven new Random Maps and three new Home Cities, The Asian Dynasties immerses player in the exotic world of the Far East.

We'll keep an eye out for when the trial version for Mac is made available. In the meanwhile, check out the screenshots below, and visit the official Age of Empires III site for more information on the new expansion pack.