LADYDRAGON.COM - THE DIGGLES ARE COMING BUT ARE RUNNING A BIT LATE

Friday March 01, 2002

THE DIGGLES ARE COMING BUT ARE RUNNING A BIT LATE

Strategy First announced today that the exciting new real-time strategy game, Diggles has gone gold, but will be shipped later next month.

Originally scheduled for release in late February, the Diggles ship date has been pushed back due to incompatibility issues between European and North American copy protection.

" We are currently addressing a minor copy protection issue with the North American version, " said Pro Sotos, Product Manager for Strategy First.

"We are currently working with the developers to resolve the issue and expect to be on course for a mid-March release here in North America." Referred to as "a micro-management strategy sim", Diggles immerses players into a magical underground world full of adventure, danger and mystery.

Players take on the role of a Diggles Clan who must descend into the underground world where they must find and solve the secret of the horrible mighty Fenris. Accomplishing the dangerous mission will take decades and will involve many generations of dwarfs. During their journey the dwarfs have to pass through four different worlds and more than 100 differentquests.

Diggles also includes a mini RPG element. It's up to the player to teach their clan survival techniques. If they are worked too hard, they'll lose efficiency; if they don't eat, they'll roll over and die! Players must arrange a daily schedule that not only determines how much work the dwarfs must do, but what kind of activities they'll perform in their leisure time!

They must learn to forge new weapons to defend themselves, retrieve valuable resources and produce tools and machinery for construction. Players must also leave room for them to cook, sleep, play cards, chit-chat and even visit the local bar! As the levels progress, Diggles will fall in love and reproduce. This is where the skill of micro-management comes into play.

The tasks set by the game can often times become secondary to ensuring that the society is running efficiently.

About Strategy First

Strategy First Inc. is a leading developer and worldwide publisher of

entertainment software for the PC. Founded in 1990, the company has grown rapidly, publishing major games in the industry and simultaneously developing its own in-house titles such as O.R.B., Disciples II, Nexagon: The Pit and Zero-G Marines. After winning numerous awards for games such as Disciples: Sacred Lands, Europa Universalis, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns and Steel Beasts, Strategy First continues to push the gaming envelope with its own groundbreaking titles, while maintaining its reputation as a unique alternative for independent developers seeking to market their games to a worldwide audience.