The Gamestar September issue has a 6 page preview article on Battle for Middle Earth 2. In contrary to the first BFME title, the sequel will take part in the North where a battle is raging between Sauron's forces vs. elves and dwarves. It will be possible to create/customize your own hero, apart from known figures such as Arwin, and become more powerful as you progress in the game. One of the main changes is that you will no longer be restricted in where you place your buildings, you will have total control over where you want to construct your base. While BFME was all land based, the sequel will also take the action on the sea, naval battles included, courtesy of an updated engine. In short, BFME 2 will have 15 missions per side, new units, new heroes, new races, new multiplayer mode, is currently about 50% complete and is scheduled for Q1 2006