• Platform:    Windows, Macintosh
• PEGI Rating: Ages 12 and Over
• Media: Video Game

After a 15-year stewing period, the Orc clans have regrouped and decided to unearth the hatchets and bury them in the human alliance. In true RTS fashion, you choose from Orcish Hordes, the Human Alliance, the Undead Scourge or the Night Elves Sentinels and, using wood and gold reserves, build bases and armies needed to leather the competition.

Unlike many a strategy fest, Blizzard have done away with unit envy and opted to give you more control over much smaller groups, but rest assured, the developers have really done their homework on this one. Expenditure of those all-important reserves won't allow you to sustain massive armies, so the key lies in developing your forces with a considered upgrade and maintenance approach.

It may be a time of war, but it's also a time of heroes, and you'll need them in order to stand a fighting chance. Whatever race you choose, quests and battles endow your heroes with greater physical and magical abilities, and experienced heroes help your surrounding troops, adding some zing to their swing.

Unsurprisingly, Blizzard have done more than just spruce up the gameplay; the proprietary 3-D engine produces a beautifully detailed world in which to wreak bloody mayhem. It all sounds great too, with believably voiced and regularly comical dialogue. --Tae Mawson

Product Description
Warcraft III immerses players in a compelling, dynamic 3-D world of incredible depth and detail. Wandering monsters roam a landscape filled with neutral towns, strongholds, and temples, while stunning environmental effects bring the world to life.

Players will guide their elite forces through adventures, battles, quests and non-player-character interactions. The war over Azeroth rages on, and players must adapt to the surprises that lie in store for them and devise strategies to defeat their opponents.

The four distinct playable races that populate Warcraft III are Orcs, Humans, Night Elves, and Undead. Each race is armed with unique units, magical abilities and weapons of war to take into battle as they renew their struggle for dominance. Additionally, WarCraft III introduces Heroes to the Warcraft universe for the first time. Heroes are powerful units that can advance in experience level, utilise additional skills and spells and employ auras that affect nearby troops when leading them into battle.

The game will include a robust campaign editor for creating custom 3-D maps and complete missions, with scripts for units, spells and event triggers. Expanded multiplayer options will allow for multiple game types, including cooperative play and questing.