Strategy gamers wishing to change the course of history in under an hour now have the opportunity to enter the Rise of Nations Sneak Preview Beta Contest for a chance to win one of 1000 copies of the Rise of Nations beta. Microsoft and Big Huge Games are now allowing gamers to sign up at the official site (http://www.riseofnations.com), where complete contest information and official rules can also be found. Winners will be selected from a random drawing from all entries and will receive a beta disc that contains 10 playable nations (18 nations will be included in the final game), three tutorials and the unique Conquer the World campaign. Winners will also be enrolled in the official beta, given access to newsgroups to provide feedback, and allowed to download official beta updates.

Microsoft also released a new video that features Rise of Nations gameplay footage interwoven with scenes from the introductory game movie. The video may be downloaded from the official site.

Rise of Nations combines the epic scope of traditional turn-based strategy games with the fast-paced action of RTS games. The game allows players to create new cities, improve their city infrastructure and expand national borders. Players have the option to win through military might using everything from slingshots to cannons to stealth bombers, corner the market on key commodities, and wheel and deal with a wide variety of Nations. Unlike other historical RTS games, Rise of Nations allows gamers to quickly play through eight historical epochs of time from the Ancient Age to the Information age, covering 6,000 years of history. This latest title from Big Huge Games Inc. founder Brian Reynolds (designer of Civilization 2 and Alpha Centauri) is scheduled for U.S. release on April 22, 2003.