In Cradle of Rome, players can build more than 20 historical sites from 5 different eras of Ancient Roman architecture by gathering resources such as wood, tools, gold and more by matching rows of 3 or more on the puzzle board and obtaining as many as possible before the time runs out. The more resources players gather, the faster they can build the city from a lowly saw mill and progress to such historical monuments such as the Temple of Venus and eventually the mighty Coliseum. Multiple gameplay modes offer various degrees of difficulty and a vast array of bonus tools adds even more incentive to continue the game and eventually become Emperor.