Defenders of Ardania: Towers Defense... And Offense... Company: Paradox Paradox's upcoming Tower Defense game, Defenders of Ardania, slated for early December, takes the genre and deepens it a bit, requiring players to manage not only defenses, but attacks, as well. However, unlike some other games that have added a character that you can directly control, Defenders of Ardania has you pitted against others, with both sides charged with defending their castles against oncoming hordes and sending specialized units across the battlefield into the enemy's castle to bring it to the ground. Get ready to start juggling. You'll have to be quick on your feet, fast on your fingers and ready to multitask, as you find a balance between building and upgrading your towers and sending more attacking units. Placement of towers becomes a strategic element, as placing towers expands your territory, allowing towers to be placed further out, still, and there are different ways that a given place can be strategically significant, from tiles that give additional resources, to special tiles that have a magical offensive attack, to choke points that allow you to control the flow of traffic. While all of the attacking units do some damage upon successfully entering the enemy castle, they all have different stats. Some units have heavier armor, while others run quickly. Any given side has only one unit that will actually attack other units and one unit that can attack enemy towers; all of the other units merely attempt to survive all the way to the other side to attack the enemy castle. These screens really don't do Defenders of Ardania justice; although it's a tower defense game, the environments look really nice and you can zoom in a bit to get a better look at things... if you can find the time. I like the presentation, in general, actually; the music is orchestral, and the voices of your advisor sounds like an impression of Sean Connery. Check back for a full review of Defenders of Ardania when it releases next month -Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins Related Links: Official Website of Defenders of Ardania