And this is the second of Microsoft?s PC games, confirming the very Age-of-Empires-looking leak of ?Spartan?  is actually Age of Empires Online. It promises Co-op and player-versus-player multiplayer, plus persistent online empires, a jolly new look and will be due for 2011. The closed beta is already running, and you can sign up for future Beta stuff already, if you wish, here. There?s quite a lot of stuff on the site, so worth nosing, but one thing on the FAQ did catch my eye. ?Will there be a retail product, or will Age of Empires Online be available as a download only?? ?It will be digitally distributed.? Which strictly speaking doesn?t say it won?t be in shops, but by omission implies it?s download only. There?s a trailer on the site which doesn?t appear to be embeddable anywhere else, so you can go and have a look at it there for now, along with grabs and concept stuff.