Oh man, I finally got this game in my hands, and it is actually better than I had hoped. If Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS) has flown right under your radar, oh please, do check it out.

I really, really enjoyed Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, but it was one of those games I could only play for a few minutes at a time. I'd do a few puzzle battles, and then put it down for the day. The story in CotW just wasn't that interesting, not least of all because of the way it's presented, with boring still images and repetitive gameplay.

Clash of Heroes definitely has some things in common with Puzzle Quest, and that's what initially attracted me to the game. But the story is, first of all, much more interesting, the game progression is more organic, and wow, this game is so much fun to play.

Okay, so take a look at the screen on the right. That's your battle screen right there. Like Puzzle Quest, matching three like gems -- in this case, units -- is the foundation of gameplay. However, matching three units vertically teams units for an attack that will execute after a set number of turns, determined by the unit type, and lining units up horizontally creates a defensive wall. There are elite units, chains, and a bunch of other elements that play into battles as well, creating all sorts of interesting strategies.

And really, this is a strategy game. Your heroes and units level up, but there's a cap for units, so you can't simply grind until your heart's content. That being said, I whole heartedly recommend this game to anyone, whether you're into strategy games or not. It's really easy to understand and ease into, and it's just so much fun.

-GD

..will be an excellent paragon of its genre and would blend the best features of games such as:

Technology tree and research system from: Moo2

Ground Battles from: Moo2

Leaders & NPC's from: Moo2

Story & Space Monsters: Moo2

Trade & Freight system: Moo2

Races & Starting traits/customization: Moo2

Boarding & Capturing Ships: Moo2

Resources & Production: GalCiv2

Events & Disasters: GalCiv2

Interface & Colors: GalCiv2

Animatics / Cinematics: GalCiv2

Government & Elections: GalCiv2

Alignment System: GalCiv2

Tax & (sub)Allocating funds: GalCiv2

Galaxy Council: GalCiv2

Diplomacy: SE5

Ship & Unit Design: SE5

Supplies & Ordnance System: SE5

Fleet Management: SE5

Modability: SE5

Space Battles: SOASE / Starwars EAW.

Do you think of anything better than that?

*Moo2 = Master of Orion2 - Battle at Antares

*SE5 = Space Empires V

*SOASE = Sins of a Solar Empire

*GalCiv2 = Galactic Civilizations 2.