If you’re tired of the cinematic that plays everytime you launch AoK (Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings), there’s an optional parameter "NoStartup" that turns that annoying video off. Just add the paramter to the shortcut that launches the game like this:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires II\age2_x1\age2_x1.exe" NoStartup

For a complete list of command line parameters, check this knowledge base from Microsoft.