Gates of Troy open early

Two weeks after their gold master was stolen, UK developer Slitherine Software announced that the expansion for the PC strategy game Spartan has shipped. The stand-alone expansion Gates of Troy is only available through Slitherine's online store.

Apparently, the day after the mail carrier holding the Gates of Troy masters was robbed, two more Royal Mail vans were hit, lending evidence that the stolen game was just bloody bad luck. Slitherine hand delivered the next set of masters, and in a strange twist of events received the same second set of proofs in the mail. The result: The duplication plant made good on its mistake and moved Gates of Troy to the top of production, effectively finishing the game two weeks ahead of the original schedule.

Gates of Troy builds off of Slitherine's strategy game set in ancient Greece, adding 19 new heroes from Homer's Iliad (or the recent film Troy). The stand-alone expansion also includes six new scenarios, new features, and new units. The game is available for £14.99 ($27.50) and includes worldwide shipping.