When Majesco said in 2005 that it would be porting Age of Empires to the Nintendo DS, many were skeptical that Ensemble's real-time strategy classic could be faithfully reproduced on a handheld. However, thanks to a few modifications that turned the game's strategy from real-time to turn-based, Age of Empires: Age of Kings left critics suitably impressed.

　　Now, the critically lionized Age of Mythology will be given similar treatment, thanks to a different publisher--THQ. Again, the game won't be a direct translation of Ensemble's 2002 hit for the PC. However, the Nintendo DS version--dubbed Age of Empires: Mythologies--will use the same engine that powered Age of Kings on the handheld and will include "an all-new active combat system."

　　Players will be given the castle keys for three civilizations--the Norse, the Greeks, and the Egyptians. Each civilization will have a unique single-player campaign, and THQ promises an abundance of heroes and monsters from the annals of each empire's mythos. Mythologies will also come packed with a fully featured multiplayer component, which offers a variety of maps, customizable rule sets, a skirmish mode, and game sharing, where multiple players will be able to compete using a single copy of the game.

　　Age of Empires: Mythologies is slated for release on the Nintendo DS this fall.