While most people are familiar with local game companies Epic Games and its best-selling "Gears of War" and "Unreal Tournament" franchises, as well as Red Storm Entertainment and its critical and commercial success, "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter;" there's another local game company here in town. German game publisher CDV chose Cary, NC as its head of marketing for North America. The game maker releases a slew of PC games each year, many from other countries. Moving forward, the company will be expanding into the portable gaming space, as well.

The publisher has four new games hitting stores this quarter, and I was able to swing by the office and check out these new PC offerings. First out of the gate is a new expanded "City Life: World Edition," which ships January 15 for $30. Those who bought the original get $10 off the price through a mail-in rebate. This game is similar to Maxis' best-selling "Sim City 2000," in that it allows gamers to build a world and contend with all sorts of city planning. Unlike other city building games, multiculturism plays a role in the game, as there are six factions of people ranging from the elites to the have-nots. Keeping everyone happy on every economic tier is critical to success in this game. Like "The Sims," this PC game is popular with males as well as females, since there's no fighting, but plenty of social themes. This edition offers 100 new buldings and a building editor to allow for more creative architecture.

"Warfront: Turning Point" brings real-time strategy gaming to the PC with a few firsts on February 15. The game is set in an alternate WWII universe in which Hitler has been assassinated and Germany teams up with the Allies to fight against Russia. Also unique to the game is the ability to zoom into the battlefield and control the vehicles from a third-person perspective and man turrets and other guns from a first-person perspective. The visuals in this game are excellent and thanks to the alternate take on history, a lot of new technology opens the door to all types of cool new weapons, as well as the classic WWII arsenal."Warfront: Turning Point" brings real-time strategy gaming to the PC with a few firsts. The game is set in an alternate WWII universe in which Hitler has been assassinated and Germany teams up with the Allies to fight against Russia. Also unique to the game is the ability to zoom into the battlefield and control the vehicles from a third-person perspective and man turrets and other guns from a first-person perspective. The visuals in this game are excellent and thanks to the alternate take on history, a lot of new technology opens the door to all types of cool new weapons, as well as the classic WWII arsenal.

CDV has a pair of games shipping in March for the PC. "Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle," is a sequel to "Runaway: A Road Adventure." Although most people probably missed the original, the sequel brings the story up to speed. If it sells well, CDV will package both games together at retail down the line. Fans of the classic adventure games like "Monkey Island" will like this throwback to point-and-click, linear gameplay. The graphics have been spruced up for those who have better machines, but anyone can enjoy this adventure, which keeps tongue firmly in cheek. There are over 100 locations to explore in the game, which range from tropical jungles to the frozen Alaskan plateaus.

Also out in March is "Tortuga: Two Treasures," an arcade take on pirating that's sure to entice fans of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Players step into the boots of Thomas "Hawk" Blythe, a former pirate under Blackbeard, who's been wronged by the famous pirate and seeks revenge. Gameplay includes combat on the open sea in a number of pirate vessels, as well as third-person perspective hand-to-hand combat on ship decks and on land.