I’ve actually managed to get into Empire, despite it’s problems, although it’s nowhere near as good as earlier versions, it does provide a bit more of a challenge at times. I’m having a great game as Brits atm, who I’ve never played before, but decided must be too easy to play, so chose to attack all my allies early on to spices things up and see what would happen. Also helps that I’ve figured out how to cope with that stupid clamour for reform, and I’m completely ignoring naval battles.
Anyway I suppose Napolean came out too soon after Empire, and given the bugs in Empire due to it’s speedy release, it’s probably safe to say Napolean wasn’t properly tested either.