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Eidos is the latest publisher to hop on the wrestling bandwagon, picking up the license to .. Backyard Wrestling. No, we'd never heard of it before, but a quick visit to their website reveals it to be a nasty, brutal affair, replacing the usual ponces in lycra bouncing each other around a padded boxing ring with blokes in jeans and .. er .. dresses beating each other to a bloody pulp in somebody's garden. Apparently it's spawned a series of best-selling videos with titles like "Future Kings Of The Ring", "Backyard Babes Uncensored" and "Random Acts Of Violence", not to mention a moral outcry from the likes of Oprah Winfrey (see, it can't all be bad), and now Eidos are hoping to tap into that fanbase. "We are pleased to be working with Eidos Interactive, as they understand that Backyard Wrestling isn't just another wrestling or fighting game, but a pop-culture phenomenon unlike anything the world has ever seen", Backyard CEO Houston Curtis modestly stated. "We believe this partnership will result in a mind-blowing, ground-breaking gaming experience that will deliver the incredible in-your-face action our fans have come to expect, combined with a unique sense of depth into our wildly outrageous world of Backyard Wrestling mayhem." Bizarre...

It's almost three years now since Homeworld took the real-time strategy genre to another dimension, doing away with old fashioned ideas like terrain and controlling the high ground and setting the whole thing in deep space instead. Since then a few developers have attempted to mirror its success, but most have fallen short. Have Lemon Interactive done any better with the-game-formerly-known-as-Starmageddon, or have they merely lived up to their rather unfortunate name?

Those of you awaiting the arrival of Stronghold: Crusader, the follow-up to last year's flawed castle building simulator, need wait no longer. With the game's release drawing ever closer, the Gathering Of Developers have released a demo to give you a taste of the medieval middle eastern mayhem that's on the cards. Sun, sand and boiling oil - what more could you want from a game? You can currently download the demo, which weighs in at around 80Mb, from any of the following outlets -

Before Delta Force: Urban Warfare landed on my doormat, I couldn't remember the last time I'd even turned my PlayStation on. In fact, I had to rummage about in the back of a cupboard to find it, blowing away the dust like it was some wizened old book. I plugged it into the TV, popped the disc in the drive, pressed the power button and .. nothing happened. Obviously my PSX has given up the ghost while its younger sibling was attracting all the attention. Which is a shame, because Rebellion were willing to give it a decent workout with their PlayStation exclusive Delta Force shooter. And what a workout it is - the poor old thing hasn't seen action like this for years.

EuroGamer's Neverwinter Nights server got its first major upgrade today, with the exclusive home-grown Northbridge module being updated to add a number of new areas, NPCs and features. Amongst the changes are some improvements to the lost council worker quest and a noticeboard in the town square to keep you up to date on all the latest additions. The biggest change though is the introduction of the town guard, whose barracks are now hosting a recruitment drive. If you think you have what it takes to join the elite Northbridge Scouts unit, head down to the barracks in the south east corner of town and talk to the Sergeant at the front desk. The town is still locked down due to the on-going refugee crisis, but scouts will soon be sent out to investigate the cause of this sudden influx of frightened farmers. In the meantime, new recruits and prospective town guard members can take advantage of the barracks' unique combat simulator, hand-crafted by a team of Gnomish illusionists and technicians to give players somewhere safe to practise their fighting technique without risk of death or dismemberment. To explore Northbridge for yourself, simply start up Neverwinter Nights, select multiplayer from the main menu, then "join internet game". You can find us listed as EuroGamer.net - Northbridge in the role-playing server list, or hit "direct connect" and set 195.157.98.210:5121 as the server IP address. We hope you enjoy playing in our world as much as we've enjoyed building it. Northbridge is intended to be a collaborative effort, so if you have something you'd like to add to our little online world, just drop a line to john@eurogamer.net with a brief outline of your idea. Depending on how much time you have and how confident you are with the Aurora editor, contributions can be anything from a single room house or a new NPC to a complete dungeon complex or quest. Even if you don't have the technical know-how to make something yourself, any suggestions are always welcome. Current items on the wish list range from town guard patrols and a gladiatorial arena to more things for rogues to do and non-alcoholic drinks at the Traveller's Tail tavern for paladins and druids. Related Feature - Welcome to Northbridge

With Sudden Strike II due to launch a blitzkrieg on British gamers at the end of August, EuroGamer has launched a new micro-site dedicated to the game. There you will find the trailer, some background information on what to expect from the game, exclusive screenshots, and short clips of in-game footage snapped from the real-time strategy sequel. There's also a frankly bizarre Circus Strike browser game which has you shooting cuddly toys, rubber ducks and World War II dictators for points, with the top scorer set to win a radio controlled zeppelin courtesy of publisher CDV. The mind boggles. To find out more, head over to eurogamer.net/suddenstrike2. Related Feature - Sudden Strike 2 screenshots

After the tumbleweed-strewn release desert of last week, today comes as something of an oasis for parched gamers in search of something new to whet their appetite. [That analogy's gone far enough - Ed] Heading up the list is Lost Kingdoms, the first role-playing game to arrive on the GameCube. Unfortunately it's something of a disappointment, as you'd already know if you'd read today's review, but those of you with a passion for card-based combat might still find enough entertainment in here to make it worth buying. Meanwhile PlayStation 2 owners can indulge in a little motorbike mayhem in Freekstyle, courtesy of SSX Tricky developers EA Sports BIG. At the other end of the console range is the PlayStation, which today receives its first big new release in living memory (well, near enough anyway) in the form of Delta Force: Urban Warfare. Developed by the brains behind Aliens vs Predator and published by tactical action specialists Novalogic, it takes the Delta Force series indoors and features a range of fairly realistic weaponry and doohickeys for would-be special forces types to monkey around with. We'll have a full review for you tomorrow. Even the beige box isn't getting left out, with Ubi Soft's movie tie-in The Sum Of All Fears hitting shelves today. Doing away with the planning phase entirely, it's apparently Rainbow Six Lite to all intents and purposes, although reviews from the US, where it's been available for some time now, have been fairly positive. It's also a mid-range game, selling for under £20, so it could be the perfect stop-gap while for fans of the genre awaiting the arrival of Raven Shield. Those of you after something a little more cerebral may want to check out the 3D adventure game Syberia. We'd love to tell you more about it, but as Vivendi Universal don't seem to have done any PR for the game on this side of the pond we're as much in the dark as you are. And on the re-release front, Return To Castle Wolfenstein gets a new lease of life in Special Edition form, complete with "making of" video, desktop wallpapers, screenshots, cartoons and demos for other Quake III engined games. New Releases - CubeLost KingdomsGBAManic Miner VIP PCSum Of All Fears Syberia Budget - Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Gold Budget - Quake III Gold Budget - Return To Castle Wolfenstein: Special EditionPSXDelta Force: Urban WarfarePS2Freekstyle Budget - WWE Smackdown: Just Bring It!Xbox No new releases Related Feature - UK Release Date List

Squaresoft has revealed in the latest issue of Japanese gaming weekly Famitsu that it is working on a total of four GameBoy Advance titles, including the previously announced enhanced port of Final Fantasy Tactics from PSone. Headlining the new cast is Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle, the first product of Fund Q, which if you'll remember was set up by former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi. The game is being developed by Square subsidiary Game Designer Studios, and will be the first of the four to appear when it is released in Japan next spring, making it Square's first release on Nintendo hardware since Final Fantasy VI in 1994. FFCC will be played primarily on the GBA, but will hook up to the TV to reflect data and presumably perform other functions. The idea is that more than one GBA can be hooked up to the same GameCube, and a player can request help from another gamer playing on a different GBA. Communication is expected to be of paramount importance. The other two titles are slightly more obscure, but, to fans of Square's past works, even more exciting. One of the games will be an adventure based primarily around Chocobos, those cute yellow bird creatures which roam Final Fantasy games and act as transport and (in Final Fantasy X at least) a source of power. Square has also confirmed that it is producing a brand new title in the Seiken Densetsu series. Seiken Densetsu, for those confused, is known better by its Western name: Secret of Mana. Although originally expected to be a port, the best translation of the Famitsu article we've seen so far points to a brand new adventure. However, reports conflict here and there so it might be worth waiting for further clarification. The news that Square is taking Nintendo's handheld platform so seriously bodes very well for the future of the two companies' relationship, which had looked a little rocky soon after it kicked off when outgoing president Yamauchi-san criticized Square's online RPG, Final Fantasy XI, during an analysts' meeting in June. Nevertheless, Final Fantasy on the GameCube has been described as "ground-breaking software" by the outspoken former president. But, Cubists, before you go uncorking that champagne about the possibility of further Nintendo titles, it's worth remembering that Square are more shrewd about their business these days, and developing for GBA - the second biggest platform behind PlayStation 2 - is good business sense, not a developer crying its way back into the Nintendo fold. Secret of Mana, though. Gulp! Update - further reports unearthed this morning lend credence to the "new Seiken Densetsu" theory, and we do know that Nintendo subsidiary Brownie Brown, responsible for the original series, is developing the game. Square is also said to be assigning the series' former producer to the title in hopes of emulating its success once again. Related Feature - Square and Nintendo exchange blows

For a while, I thought this was going to be dead good. Playing Lost Kingdoms for a couple of hours on the evening I received it, I fell in love with the subtle complexity of the card-battling system, and this brief love affair continued for a fortnight or so. However, before long things started to fall apart for this cute little card-carrier, and in the end I was quite pleased to see the back of Princess Katia and the threat of the black mist.

In a move which will surprise nobody who has been paying any attention over the last few months, Microsoft have today officially announced that work is underway on sequels to two of the Xbox's top sellers, Halo and Project Gotham Racing. Both games proved popular at the console's launch, and have gone on to sell more than a million copies each worldwide. Halo 2 will continue the story of the nameless super soldier known only as the Master Chief, with players facing both the familiar Covenant forces from the original Halo as well as a selection of new enemies. Microsoft and Bungie are promising twice as many vehicles to drive, a wider selection of weapons, and an "epic" single player campaign in addition to the much vaunted Xbox Live support. Improved graphics are also on the cards, which should make this a beauty to behold. We can only hope that the gameplay will also be tweaked; a little less repetition and back-tracking in the later stages of the game would be welcome, for starters. Halo 2 should be on the shelves for Christmas 2003. Project Gotham Racing 2 also follows the "more of the same" formula, adding new cities such as Edinburgh and Hong Kong and new licensed cars from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche. Mmm... The rating system has also been given an overhaul, and Bizarre are expanding the Kudos system in the sequel to give players more ways to earn the points. Oh, and naturally online racing will be supported through the Xbox Live service. Expect to see Gotham 2 screeching into view some time in 2004. Related Feature - Xbox goes Live

Lost Kingdoms, the Cube's first PAL RPG due out tomorrow, has already spawned a sequel according to Japanese developer From Software. Known as Rune in the Far East, the series is a card battler with a light story overlaid on top. Reports from Japan indicate that the new game will feature twice the number of cards as its predecessor, working at the behest of a new main character, and that many elements of the game will be overhauled and tweaked to improve the experience. Those of you who have been following the Lost Kingdoms saga in Europe, which looks to culminate in Activision releasing the game tomorrow, should keep an eye out for our review tomorrow morning. Related Feature - Lost Kingdoms screenshots (Cube)

Blue Shift Games (no relation to the Half-Life mission pack of the same name, by the way) has had its debut GameCube project canned after publisher THQ decided to make it an Xbox exclusive. Toxic Grind, a futuristic extreme sports action-adventure in which BMX riders compete on TV to live or die (sounds riveting), joins a line of games from the Californian developer made up of titles like Hydro Thunder (not bad) and Running Wild (distinctly bad) on the PlayStation, as well as World Series Baseball games on the Xbox and Dreamcast.

Back on June 3rd, Nintendo of America released a limited edition platinum coloured GameBoy Advance unit, made available for a slightly higher price, to celebrate the success of the console in the US. Today, Nintendo has announced plans to release the console in a limited run for European consumers. The platinum GBA will go on sale on September 27th, at the normal price of 99 euros or roughly £59.99. The move is sure to be popular with collectors and die hard Nintendo fans, to whom the prospect of a limited edition console will make a big impression. Related Feature - States to receive platinum GBA

With New World Order's October 18th release drawing ever closer, publisher Project 3 have released a new version of the game's multiplayer-only beta. Lead programmer Jim Malmros is quoted as saying that "all issues have now been tackled and this version 2.0 will rock". If you fancy taking the new version for a spin to see if it truly has fixed the problems that afflicted the original beta release from earlier in the summer, head over to Project 3's website and download the 123Mb file. You'll also need to apply a Microsoft DirectX patch which fixes some major lag problems the game was having with DirectPlay. Related Feature - New World Order screenshots

One of the things which Codemasters are hoping will make TOCA Race Driver stand out from the motor racing crowd is the fact that it's more than just the on-track action you need to worry about. Fictional characters will be included in the line-up, with a story mode following your progress both on and off the circuit as young hot shot Ryan McKane. Race incidents, pit lane mishaps, heated arguments and romance are all on the cards if the fourth and final teaser for the game is anything to go by. Featuring the requisite one minute of in-game footage, the aptly named Characters trailer shows brief clips of some of the game engine cutscenes starring Ryan McKane, his team mates, rivals and love interest, as well as the inevitable cast of curvaceous grid girls. If you want a taste of what we can all look forward to on August 23rd, download the latest trailer from the TOCA files page on Codemaster's website. Related Feature - TOCA has a fender bender

Aggressive Inline is the latest addition to a growing genre of mostly identical skating games. Looking, sounding and feeling like a bigger and better version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Inline will be instantly familiar to both hardcore and casual fans of Neversoft's extreme sports franchise. Like Street Fighter and Doom before it, Tony Hawk has bred plenty of imitators, but will it be able to maintain its position at the top of the pile by shrugging off Z-Axis' latest contender, or is Mr. Hawk about to have his wings clipped? Well, I'm hardly going to spill the beans in the first paragraph, am I?

Sony has revealed a number of important release dates for the rest of the year in the latest issue of the Official PlayStation 2 Magazine in the UK. Headlining the cast is Tekken 4, available from September 20th, quickly followed to market by Ferrari F355 Challenge and This is Football 2003 on the 27th. October is slightly lighter, with only Ninja Assault (4th) and Formula One 2002 (16th) due out, but November will be a month to remember, kicking off with WRC II Extreme on the 1st, Ratchet & Clank on the 8th, Treasure Planet on the 15th, Kingdom Hearts on the 22nd, and - we should be so lucky - The Getaway on the 29th. Sony also reckons Alpine Racer 3 will be out in December, and Primal in January. Related Feature - UK Release Dates List

You've played Doom II, right? It was quite an important game. Back in the day, it made as much of an impression as the original did, introducing us to the wonders of the double barrel shotgun amongst other things, and having recently announced a GameBoy Advance port of the game, Id Software has now shed some light on what we can expect to see. In short, the port is feature-complete. Total. Comprehensive. All-embracing. That means that alongside the 30-level single player adventure, during which the player is beset on all sides by the legions of the damned (jolly good), we can also expect to see the traditional deathmatch and the incredibly enjoyable co-operative modes included. Id Software has a history of redefining technologies - perhaps Doom II will redefine the importance of a link cable? Related Feature - Doom II screenshots (GBA)

Konami of Europe has today "confirmed its commitment to the PC" with the promise that several key titles will be released on the beige box next year. Unfortunately one of these games is the PC port of Shadow of Memories, which has been pushed back from a planned September release into the new year, apparently a deliberate move "to ensure Konami of Europe enters the PC sector with the strongest possible line-up". Amongst this line-up will be more games from the company's Milton Keynes studio. "We aim to launch in 2003 with the strongest selection of PC titles available to us", Konami Europe president Kunio Neo declared. "On one hand we will bring Konami's world-renowned franchises to an all-new audience, while on the other hand original, first-run titles will prove our versatility and commitment to the format." Related Feature - Konami Shadows PC and Xbox

American publisher Enix has signed a number of 'Hollywood' voice actors (three, if you're interested) to help add spice to the story behind Grandia Xtreme. Mark "Star Wars" Hammill is geared up to play the game's reckless baddy, Colonel Kroitz, while Dean "Clark Kent" Cain will work opposite Lisa "I don't know who this person is" Loeb as the game's respective leads, Evann and Lutina. Grandia Xtreme is due to ship to US stores this September on PlayStation 2 (exclusively, I might add), but we don't know whether the game will ever filter through over here. Ubi Soft would seem the most likely candidates to publish it, given that they published the PAL conversion of Grandia II on PS2 earlier this year, but should they choose not to, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. Grandia Xtreme is something of a side story; a hack-and-slash-oriented addition to the series bashed out quite quickly, and although neither of the other two Grandias had much to do with one another, it could be argued that Grandia Xtreme isn't even part of the series. It certainly isn't Grandia III - that's still to come, and we await its arrival with bated breath.

Electronic Arts has taken the unprecedented step of announcing the 2003 edition of its FIFA Football franchise in the eighth month of 2002. Their marketing droids assure us that this latest FIFA will be just as "absorbing" and "detailed" as ever, because "FIFA is total football" [Nb: excess capital lettering confiscated by writer]. After our protestations that the last one was awful, however, good news comes in the shape of several major alterations. For a start, we're promised improvements to the game's AI, and "a fundamental change in the control of the ball including shooting, dribbling and passing," which we're hoping means the elimination of that pesky power bar. Other changes will affect the free kick and set pieces system, although like Konami, EA seems happier to draw attention to the familiar player run-ups and behaviour, instead of explaining how the new system will work. As usual, all sorts of game modes will be on offer, and the coveted FIFA license means "over 175 licensed entities", which means 16 leagues, 450 teams and as many as 10,000 players. EA will also be pushing back the envelope in terms of presentation, although we can't imagine how they could raise the production values of 2002 FIFA World Cup. I suppose they could eliminate the slowdown… Anyway, FIFA Football 2003 will be available this November on every format under the sun - PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSone, and even GameBoy Advance. But then again, the release date and targeted formats were never really in question. Related Feature - FIFA Football 2003 screenshots (PS2)

Earlier in the summer Sony Online announced that their massively popular massively multiplayer role-playing game EverQuest would be seeking new victims players, with the release of a Macintosh version developed by Westlake Interactive. A couple of weeks later a dedicated MacinQuest website has now been launched to give fans a taste of things to come, including a FAQ featuring pertinent questions such as "isn't EQ three years old - why bring it to the Mac now?" The answer apparently is .. well, they artfully dodged answering the question actually, instead pointing out that Mac users will get one handy bundle of EverQuest and all its various add-ons up to and including Shadows of Luclin, complete with the updated graphics, new zones, character races and classes included therein. EverQuest for the Mac will enter beta testing towards the end of the year, with a spring 2003 release currently planned. The only catch is that Mac Questers will be restricted to their own ghetto as the port won't be compatible with the PC version. Sony Online helpfully tell us that "there are several reasons for this" without actually saying what any of them are, apart from claiming that "since most of the Mac users will be first-time customers of EQ, they will receive the best value and enjoyment out of the game by starting on an even playing field, and not having to compete with PC users who have a substantial head start". Not that this stops them from dumping PC newbies into those servers, of course... More details can be found on the official EQ Mac page. Related Feature - EverCraft?

With Neverwinter Nights finally out and Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic well on its way, BioWare have dropped the first hints of what we can expect from them next. In contrast to their recent releases, the developer's latest projects will both be based on original concepts, rather than building on the foundations of Dungeons & Dragons' Forgotten Realms or the Star Wars universe. The first game will be an Xbox title to be published by Microsoft, with BioWare's co-founder Dr Ray Muzyka commenting that "they clearly share BioWare's vision and commitment to quality". The result will be "an all-new epic Xbox roleplaying game". The second title (also a role-playing game) will be released on the PC, but as they haven't even started looking for a publisher for it yet it's no doubt some way off still. All we know at this early stage is that BioWare are looking forward to creating their own unique universe for the game, and that it will be "an immersive BioWare RPG experience in the tradition of games like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights". Which is reason enough to get excited. Related Feature - Neverwinter Nights review

Ubi Soft in the States has announced a new PS2 and Cube incarnation of Super Bust-A-Move 2, the latest instalment in the screen-clearing puzzle series. The series spans nearly a decade of releases, and Ubi is claiming that more than three million people have bought a copy of the game at some stage. Many more still are bound to have purchased one of the countless rip-offs released over the years. This being Ubi, the PS2 (October) and Cube (December) releases in the US are bound to filter through to Europe without too much delay, and they will be packed full of different modes to extend the game's life beyond the basic bubble-popping mania.

Eidos has announced that Free Radical Design's TimeSplitters 2 will feature system link support for up to 16 players in its Xbox incarnation, matching the equivalent PlayStation 2 feature. This means that up to eight consoles can be linked together if you can create such an environment. To celebrate, Eidos also chucked five new Xbox screenshots our way, including some with monkeys! Related Feature - TimeSplitters 2 screenshots (Xbox)

Although I'll endeavour to keep the embarrassing revelations about the game's younger days to a minimum, a little history would not go amiss. Developed by veteran Nintendo second-party codeshop Rare, the game is actually a combination of two separate projects; the next sequel in the classic StarFox series of games, and an entirely new franchise, Dinosaur Planet. Combine the two and you end up with a mish-mash of hi-octane shoot'em'up levels, somewhat more cerebral adventure levels, furry anthropomorphic characters and rather mean-looking dinosaurs.

Animal Leader, or Dobutsu Bancho as followers of Japanese releases will know it, is to appear in the US under the name Cubivore thanks to publisher Atlus this November. The only question remaining is, will we see it in Europe? Unfortunately we weren't able to get an answer by the time of going to press, but one would imagine that this latest news improves the game's chances. Those of you unfamiliar with Animal Leader, Cubivore, whatever, might be interested to hear what it's actually about. First of all, the graphics are all deliberately chunky squares and other shapes, and represent a number of animals, of which the player controls one. Your task is to guide this odd-looking mite through its first steps and the early stages of life, controlling its interaction with nature and potentially hostile creatures; all the while the little fella is quietly evolving. The game has drummed up a lot of support amongst the legions of Nintendo fans constantly seeking Japanesey products, and the news that the game will be released in the US is very promising indeed.

Wetrix was an excellent puzzle game, but that didn't stop you lot from ignoring it. Still, developer Zed Two wasn't too perturbed by this setback, and has quietly been slaving away on a turn-based strategy title about, er, a slave uprising. After years of putting up with the rule of a band of decidedly unpleasant immortal creatures, lead character Low and his sister Pepper have gathered a band of rebels together in the hope of toppling their regime. Pillage, as the game is to be known, is under development on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and PC, with all three versions due out during 2003. Viewed from a third person perspective, players will have to marshal their available time, energy and of course weaponry to defeat the enemy turn by turn. Line of sight AI coupled with fully destructible environments should make for some interesting rock-crumbling strategies, and in the interests of making the experience slightly more engaging, Zed Two have employed the services of TV scriptwriter and Digitiser columnist Paul Rose. Expect to hear more about Pillage as the months roll by, and in the meantime, have a gander at some of Zed Two's early screenshots. Related Feature - Pillage screenshots

Veteran Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has pledged to continue what he described as his "lifework" on the Mario series of games. Speaking at a press conference held on the day of Super Mario Sunshine's Japanese release, he told assembled journalists "when we announced Mario 128, we were already working on Super Mario Sunshine. At that time, the basic actions were completed; however in the eyes of a Mario player, it was not enough. To go beyond Mario meant using actions to discover new things. Understanding that and retaining elements from Mario 64 was how we passed this year." Miyamoto-san also spoke of his confidence in the N64 and GameCube controllers. "I think we may have raised the bar of 3D action games again," he added. "It is apparent that it is quite difficult to jump around in a 3D environment. By hovering, the player can go here and there freely. It is a good fit with 3D jumping games." Sceptics would do well to wait until October 4th before rebuking his comments, too. You'd be surprised how much harder Sunshine is than the relatively simple Mario 64, and in our estimation there are a good 50 hours or more to this adventure. Apart from collecting the game's 120 shines, players will be expected to keep an eye out for the often incredibly difficult to find blue coins. "I am 50 years old this year. The Mario series has pretty much become my lifework," Miyamoto-san's statement concludes. "From now on every year I will still work on it; I hope more people will play it." Good news indeed - hopefully one day he'll perfect the camera behaviour, too! Related Feature - Super Mario Sunshine screenshots

Hot on the heels of Neverwinter Nights, dungeon crawl fans can now look forward to the arrival of Icewind Dale II, which was confirmed as having "gone gold" last night. Developed by Interplay's Black Isle studio and based on a modified version of the engine which powered the Baldur's Gate series, Planescape Torment and the original Icewind Dale, it carries on the tale of the icy northlands of the Forgotten Realms, which are now threatened by a horde of orcs, goblins and bugbears. Naturally it's up to you and your band of roving heroes to put things right. Like Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale II has been built around the latest 3rd Edition D&D rule set, with the addition of feats and skills, new character classes such as barbarian and sorceror, and new playable races including the drow and aasimar. There's also a wider selection of spells, weapons, armour and equipment available to players compared to the first Icewind Dale. All of which you will get to sample for yourself when the game is released in the US and Europe during September. Related Feature - Icewind Dale II screenshots