Ankit takes another week off, but we welcome long time Shift Queue fan Steve Kowalski to the show. We were blessed with another busy RTS week following the recent gaming convention in Germany. Games this week include World War II: Road to Victory, Birth of America 2, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Hearts of Iron 3, and more. As we mentioned last episode, the discussion this week is about rewards in games and really... who doesn't like a nice reward for playing games?

Unfortunately the summer RTS lull continues, but we dug deep and found a few gems in the rough. This week we try out Stardock's Impulse and go on a great invasion. The games this week start and end with Theatre of War 2 with a bit of War Between the States. Activision Blizzard decides World in Conflict is not worth it, and we also come to the conclusion that Africa offers everything, even pretty gems.

Another update is released for the turn-based American Civil War grand strategy hit!

Survive the Dark Ages and Conquer Europe at the head of an army or a barbarian horde!

We welcome the Hero of Des Moines to the show this week and come clean about a few things. While it was a slow RTS week, the few titles we blessed with more than make up for it. Games this week range from Blitzkrieg II and Disgaea to Road to Victory and Theatre of War. Our discussion is two pronged covering both reading comprehension and character design in games.

Infinite Interactive promises to deliver the trifecta of puzzle, role playing, and strategic gameplay in their new title Puzzle Kingdoms.