The game, Medieval II: Total War from Sega, now has new content and options which come in the form of their expansion, Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms. The expansion promises over 75 hours of gameplay for fans of the game. To spice things up, the expansion has added four new campaigns, as well as the opportunity to explore The New World which is unlocked at the end of Medieval II: Total War. To diversify the gameplay even further, 13 new playable factions and over 150 new units have also been added.

To lead these new units and factions, new hero characters have also been added to the ranks, with the likes of Richard The Lionheart and Saladin now in tow. On top of that, players can now use moated forts to house large armies or block off key strategic points from enemy factions. Tech Trees have also been expanded, with the additions being dictated by religion and prestige.

George Fidler, Studio Director of The Creative Assembly Australia, spoke about this expansion saying that they are now "looking to offer unrivaled richness and detail with four completely new campaigns, each offering its own unique features, challenges and flavour of Total War." Whether this holds true or not is still a question to be answered. Well, until Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms hits stores this autumn anyway. While waiting, you can check out some of the screenshots and videos of the game.

Before we even begin talking about Aussie and it being the games capital of the cosmos, let's talk basics first, shall we? The other night, the Game Developer's Association of Australia (GDAA) presented awards to exemplary games and companies across the industry as part of their annual event. Aside from that, the group also released new statistics on the current status of the local industry.

So what do you want first, the list of winners or the statistics? Well, let us save the best for last and go with statistics first. During the last few years, Australia's local game industry has been booming and has finally become an important integer of its economy.

According to the association's official report, "Australian game developers now directly employ 1600 people, including 1350 permanent staff, and generate annual revenue of $110 million - over 90 per cent of which is export earnings." They added that the sector is actually labeled as high skill and high wage, with employees earning more than the average wage across the country.

Given those, it is then important to know how GDAA view the industry. Without saying it directly, GDAA implied that 2006 belong to Pandemic Studios with the latter grabbing the four of ten awards. The list of the winners is as follows:

• Best Game - Destroy All Humans 2 (Pandemic)
• Best Console Game - Destroy All Humans 2 (Pandemic)
• Best PC Game - Medieval II: Total War (The Creative Assembly)
• Best Handheld Game - MX Vs ATV: On the Edge (Tantalus)
• Best Mobile Game - Madden 07 (Firemint)
• Best Gameplay - Medieval II: Total War (Pandemic)
• Best Graphics - Medieval II: Total War (The Creative Assembly)
• Best Audio - Destroy All Humans 2 (Pandemic)
• Best New Start-up Company - Endgame