First look: Lords of the Realm III

The next game we can expect from Impressions--the developer responsible for the successful city-building series that includes the Caesar, Pharaoh, and Zeus games--is an empire-building strategy game set during the Middle Ages. Sierra has just released the first screenshots from Lords of the Realm III, and they depict the sort of strategic management, real-time combat, and castle sieges that we can expect from the game.

Lords of the Realm III takes place in Europe between AD 850 and AD 1350, and it features authentic castle designs and characters in scenarios set in the British Isles, Germany, France, Normandy, Brittany, Flanders, and Denmark. Players assume the role of a feudal lord trying to expand his influence and become king. Along the way, players will have to use politics, diplomacy, and military force to not only challenge other nobles, but to also keep the peasants, clergy, and merchants in their place. To expand their influence, players will recruit vassals, design and build castles, and attack opposing castles in detailed sieges.

Lords of the Realm III is scheduled for release later this year. We'll have more on the game soon.