Strategy

Freeciv 2.1.0 has been released after 650 days of development.  Freeciv is a free open-source empire-building strategy game inspired by the history of human civilization. The game commences in prehistory and your mission is to lead your tribe from the stone age to the space age.  It runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac OSX.  Changes since 2.09 include:

• Significantly improved features for modmakers.
• New default tileset: Amplio.
• Hex-2 overhead hexagonal tileset.
• Flags rendered from SVG vector images.
• High-res building and wonder icons plus brand new tech icon set.
• New city tab on main map.
• City outlines.
• Added lua as scripting language. New tutorial scenario.
• Many new nations, flags and nation information and options.
• New /surrender command to yield in multiplayer games.
• Score now shown in player dialog.
• Reputation removed from the game.
• New borders rules. Borders are static, fortresses expand borders and cities expand more borders with city size growth.
• New diplomacy rules. Neutral state replaced with Armistice. You now start in War state, and cannot cross borders with military units except in War or Alliance states.
• SDL client much improved and usable.
• GTK+ 1.2 clients removed.
• Votes need over 50% of votes to pass. Voting is now only during game.
• First player to join becomes game organizer and sets all options.
• Many AI changes. Improved AI diplomacy. Novice AI easier to beat.
• Palace has a production bonus of +75% under Despotism and +50% under Monarchy.
• New animated cursors.
• Support for GGZ Gaming Zone.
• Multiple units may be moved at once as a battlegroup.
• Built-in theme support. GTK+ and SDL clients shipped with unique Freeciv themes.
• As usual, tons of changes under the hood.

Freeciv is one of the better, more refined open-source games on the market.  If you need a game with low system requirements or love strategy games, you may consider Freeciv.   It also might be a good history teaching tool for children to have fun and learn at the same time. 

There have been a lot of new demos that have come out in the past week.  In the storm of confusion about The Orange Box, COD4, and Unreal Tournament 3, you may have missed some great game demos that were released in the past few weeks.  

F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate -- The newest update to the F.E.A.R. series.  This game has a great player experience. 

Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties -- One of the best real-time strategy games comes out with another expansion.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.1 -- This demo update brings the ETQW demo up to speed with the game release.

Time Shift -- I've heard great things about this game.  Unlike F.E.A.R. and Max Payne where you slow down time, you can actually stop time in this game to move around. 

Heroes of Might & Magic V Tribes of the East -- One of the best turn-based strategy games releases a new expansion. 

These are all linked to Filefront, so no registration is necessary to download.  

Duels is a PvP strategy game that is completely web-based and free. Your probably thinking in terms of browser-based 3D like Runescape, but this does not require a download or JAVA to play. It is text-based, but a little more graphic than a MUD. They have recently released the game, and have had a good first month:

• 22,400+ Avatars Created
• 15,000+ Messages Posted

Packs opened:

• 250,000 Duels Core Set I (Sold out!)
• 30,000 Noble Set I (Sold out!)
• 253,000+ Duels Core Set II
• 4,800+ Yumeria Rising

Fights:

• 2.8 million duels!
• 3.6 million skirmishes

Lem has posted a quick Duels Walkthrough and Tips article from the things he's learned by playing Duels over the past few weeks. Check it out.

A rare newsworthy item on a Saturday, today marks the 12th anniversary of the series, and they are celebrating by offering the gold version of the game for free.  Launched in 1995, this series brought action-packed strategy to the masses.  Here's a quote from the site:

To kick the celebration off, today we have a special surprise which we
are certain new and old Command & Conquer fans will enjoy. We are
providing the original Command & Conquer Gold as a free download,
compatible for Windows XP! This is the same version included with the
collectors pack Command & Conquer: The First Decade, and is now available for you to download for free!

http://www.commandandconquer.com/intel/default.aspx?id=61#NewsMain  

Myst Online, the MMO version of the popular puzzle game has been released.  It will be hosted at Gametap and with a Gametap membership (99 cents) you'll have full access to the game.  It also has a trial option that doesn't require a credit card.  An online puzzle game is an interesting concept and the feature set is even more interesting.  Here's what Myst will offer:

* Create your own avatar (virtual character) with a unique
ultra-realistic customization system. Completely personalize your
avatar by selecting everything from your skin tone and facial features
to your clothing styles and colors.

* Interact with players from all over the world via text and/or voice chat

* Explore beautiful and wondrous new worlds

* Solve puzzles by yourself, with friends, and or with large groups of people

* Your choices and actions effect the overall game storyline

* New worlds and puzzles are added on a ongoing basis as the storyline unfolds

And here's some screenshots: