A few new screenshots have surfaced today, showing off what PC gamers can expect from the upcoming Empire Earth III, the only real-time strategy title that allows players to build and rule a civilisation from the ancient world into the distant future.

"This game is a bit of a departure from the first two in the series ," explained Matthew Nordhaus of Vivendi in an interview with StrategyInformer.com. "I hope the fans will give the game a chance, and not judge it just because it doesn’t “look” like an Empire Earth game. We have kept the core Empire Earth values intact: progress through the ages and conquer the world. We’ve tried very hard to add ease of use, some comic relief, and rock solid gameplay to the list. Everyone here on the design team is a gamer, and we are putting all our efforts into this game to make it a really unique experience."

It's true, Empire Earth III is a departure from either of the two previous titles in the series, with all but the basics being stripped apart and put back together in a way that Sierra and developer Mad Doc hope works a lot more efficiently. One of Empire Earth II's biggest criticisms was that its scale and focus on 'bigger is better' overwhelmed many gamers. This time around, the varying factions are promised not to appear in lesser numbers, just organised a lot better. Similarly, the graphical appearance of units will be a lot more distinctive, helping to make managing the in-game activities that much simpler.

Empire Earth isn't the type of game you can sum up in a few short paragraphs, but be sure that in the two years since EE II was released, the minds behind its sequel have been working hard to create a game that, while a world away from what players recognise, is set to do the franchise proud.