Stronghold goes on Crusade

Take 2 have announced that British developers Firefly are working on a follow-up to their popular castle building sim Stronghold. Subtitled Crusader, it moves the action from Europe to the Middle East, giving you the chance to work on your tan, build an impregnable desert fortress and lay siege to the locals. The game will feature four campaigns to keep you occupied, putting you in the boots of either Richard Lionheart or Saladin as they battle it out in medieval Syria and Palestine. New units such as mounted archers, assassins and teutonic knights are available, along with a wider range of siege weapons, which will hopefully play a bigger part in the game this time round. Naturally the castles themselves have also received an overhaul, with new Arabian inspired architecture to construct, oases to defend and lots of sand. While we weren't the world's biggest fans of the original Stronghold, it was an interesting concept, and if Firefly can get the AI up to scratch and tweak the gameplay a little, they could be on to a winner. Expect more news soon, with a summer release currently on the cards. Related Feature - Stronghold Crusader screenshots

Source - press release