The month of February 2003 has seen, quite arguably some of the best PC releases we have seen in quite a long time!

The two featured games in this article are as follows:

Praetorians: The "game of the month" for February can be seen in the form of Praetorians, a Strategy based game where you can relive the campaigns of Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire, battling the barbarian hordes to the north and the fanatical Egyptians to the south. All for the glory of Rome!

The era from which this game focuses is between 55 and 40BC. While the game offers familiar names and locations made famous during the time of Caesar, the game is "inspired by history rather than based on it," leaving a great deal of space for the player to invent and relive the golden days of Rome.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of this game, is that offers 24 single-player missions, with the scenarios ranging from as far north as Britain to as far south as North Africa. In addition, players are able to play from all sides at one point during their campaign. These range from Romans to the Barbarians and the Egyptians. To cap it off, Praetorians can also be played online, with 16 multiplayer maps, making it reminiscent to the blockbuster Battlefield 1942 that hit the shelves late last year.

In terms of gameplay, this game focuses on troop-based combat. Villages are controlled by constructing a garrison with the lowest level troops. These troops also build watch towers and siege machines such as battering rams, ballistas and catapults, making it extremely realistic. The interface appears a bit clumsy at first, but it becomes easier as the game progresses. Combat is as simple as point and click, reminding us of classic games such as Age of Empires and the Command & Conquer series.

A great game for Strategy and historical fans!

For more information, visit: http://www.pyrostudios.com

Freelancer: In the second of the features in this article, we take to the skies and explore the vast world and endless possibilities of Freelancer! Ever played Frontier or even the original Elite - possibly one of the best freelance space exploration games around where you determine your own destiny and affiliation? This is exactly the same, but BETTER!

The world of Freelancer - a huge, open-ended universe where only you can determine the next step of gameplay!

The storyline is simplicity itself. It revolves around the player Edison Trent, late of the planet of Leeds in the House of Bretonia. You're a mercenary freebooter living in a human-controlled sector of space 800 years removed from a terrible civil war that tore Earth and the solar system apart. The losers of that conflict left in five great colony ships, cut off all ties to the mother world, and began to build a new interstellar society based around the original colony ships.

Edison was on Freeport 7, a neutral station in Liberty space when mysterious raiders destroyed it, blowing up Edison's ship, his cargo, and all of his money in the process. Now marooned on Planet Manhattan, Edison has to rebuild his fortune and figure out why Freeport was destroyed before the whole of civilized space is plunged into war.

Or not. One of the most interesting features of Freelancer is that you don't actually have to follow the pre-scripted storyline. Once you finish your first mission and have a few bucks in your pocket, you can fly off into the ether and never come back (although this will keep you from reaching the higher levels and getting access to some of the better ships and equipment). In fact, even if players do finish the campaign storyline straight through, they still won't have visited half of the planets and systems in the game.

In terms of gamespy, Freelancer remains true to it's name and boasts over 40 star systems, dozens of planets, and hundreds of bases to discover, land on, and trade with. The game was originally premised on the prospect of "open-ended gaming" -- the idea of a truly interactive universe. Gamers could just tool around, taking on mercenary missions, becoming a pirate, acting as a law-enforcement stooge, running a trading empire, or just discovering new things taking advantage of an ever-changing universe. Indeed, the area available to explore is huge and beyond belief, and will keep you gaming throughout the night!

Want to know more? We urge you to check out the following Official site: http://www.microsoft.com/games/freelancer/default.asp

Freelancer GameSpy movie: http://www.fileplanet.com/files/120000/120839.shtml