Being thoroughly unhappy with the information about RTW2 and its features/bugs, as well as the price, I went back to RTW1 and downloaded the Roma Surrectum 2 mod. My gosh...what a GREAT game. Its forums on the Total War Center website http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?251-Roma-Surrectum
are full of other folks who feel like it is the superior Roman game, at least until some mighty big fixes and mods happen to RTW2. I encourage anyone with an earnest fascination of the period to check it out.
man that site is all kinds of jacked up right now.
The TW folks probably blocked it so gamers wouldn't be able to read it and be tempted to go back to TW:R 1. :D