Sgb7607 :
thank you for answering my question hang-the-9
Yea just keeps blanking the screen and shutting the game down but the audio works looks like I may have to invest in a desktop. thanks again
AOE 3 came out in 2005, try running in with XP Compatibility mode when you start the game. The laptop should run it, it does not need that high of a spec system to run.
You may also want to check for updated drivers from Acer for the video card.