Developed by Germany's Sunflowers studio, Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery is set to offer DS owners a veritable new world of opportunity. This RTS puts players right into heart of the colonial era (18th century), with the goal of creating and expanding their very own colonies on yet-to-be-discovered lands and cultures. The original Anno 1701 game franchise for the PC was well-received in Germany, with its DS port expected to receive these features:

• Three game-modes:
• A Campaign mode offering more than 15 missions
• an endless-game-mode
• Multiplayer mode with configurable settings for up to 4 players on ready-made maps.
• An in-depth tutorial, comprehensive in-game help and animated advisors on the top screen provide for easy-to-access game tips and hints.
  

The game is expected to launch in Europe this June 13, 2007 - no news yet on a North America release. Also included below are our very first game screenshots and character art, in case the readership was wondering how the game will look. Enjoy the view!

The rest of Anno 1701's screenshots and game art are in the Full Article

If you're armed with a DS and you're looking for some good new strategy titles to keep yourself busy, then you might want to check out Anno 1701 once it comes out in Australia and New Zealand in June, thanks to a publishing deal between German company Sunflowers and Disney Interactive Studios.

Set between the 17th and 18th centuries, Anno 1701 is one of the most successful PC game franchises of all time in German-speaking territories. Anno 1701 is an empire-building game that allows players to explore the world and interact with a huge variety of characters.

The DS version of Anno 1701 is not just a port of the PC versions, either. "When expanding the property onto other platforms, we don't simply port the game design," said Wilhelm Hamrozi, CEO of Sunflowers. "We develop new concepts that satisfy the familiar high standards in terms of quality and gameplay appropriate to the platform".

Anno 1701 for the DS will fully utilize the Nintendo handheld system's dual screens, with stylus-driven gameplay and multiplayer support for up to four players. It also features a fully configurable endless game mode with AI players.