Barbarian AI and the dang monks

I've been playing aoe 2 for a few weeks against the barbarian AI on arabia, I want to beat it in moderate before I try going against people on voobly, I don't rush it because I consider that kinda cheaty and it's always super close, I rekt their economy and always have them almost dead until they start spamming monks from behind the tc and I slowly get all my units converted, it just camps there with the few units it can make and the tc fire, it always just holds there until it has an army made of half my units and half theirs and it just pushes me away, I can't really boom while I attack because they just convert my army while I'm looking away as I'm still kinda slow at the game and if I kill the monks or monastery I loose my army in the process. Do you think I should try to play against people anyways or is beating the barbarian ai on moderate something expected?