What is the different between Multiplayer mode & The Zone mode in Age of Empires-Age of Kings?

i can't play on the zone anymore because it's out now, and it's redirected to gamespy now and i want to pay fees just to play a game with a friend online....is it possible though to still play online with a friend not using The Zone..liek my friend's in the US and i'm in Canada?

When you click on multi-player mode you should be redirected to a screen that asks which type of multi-player game you would like to play. One option is the online "Zone", the other option is direct link. You just have to know your friends IP adress. If you need help with this, there are walk throughs for it in the manual.