Stardock has jumped the gun and put up its full Labor Day weekend Impulse sale lineup today, a special that offers some great treats for strategy gaming fans. Chief among the discounted games is Related Designs' truly excellent city-building sim Dawn of Discovery, also known as Anno 1404 in Europe. The title--a mix of Settlers-esque resource balancing and SimCity construction--has been marked down 50% to only $25, a real steal considering the enormous amount of quality gameplay offered.

Stardock's own titles Sins of a Solar Empire and Demigod have also been knocked down to $20 apiece, while the enormous Galactic Civilizations II Ultimate Edition is only $40.

With Related Design's ANNO 1404 hitting North America next week under the title Dawn of Discovery, publisher Ubisoft has put out a "mood" trailer for the strategy game.

The PC release will be accompanied by visually distinct Wii and DS editions, also due in stores next week, with a free demo of the PC version now available on FileShack.

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A 1.68GB PC demo for Related Design's upcoming strategy title Dawn of Discovery--known internationally as ANNO 1404--is now available on FileShack.

The download offers up two campaign chapters and the "continuous game" mode, each restricted to one hour of playtime and sporting limits on attainments and civilization levels.

Published by Ubisoft, Dawn of Discovery is due in North American retailers next Tuesday, June 23, with Wii and Nintendo DS editions arriving alongside the PC release.

A list of the system requirements were also provided, and follow below... Read more

Ubisoft today announced Dawn of Discovery (Wii, NDS, PC), the North American title of Related Designs' city-building sequel Anno 1404.

Dawn of Discovery will continue the Anno series' focus of historical urban planning and settlement management. Unlike past games in the franchise, Dawn of Discovery does not appear to feature combat.

The Wii and Nintendo DS versions will support motion and stylus controls, respectively, while the Wii version of the title will feature a co-op mode.

Dawn of Discovery is set for a summer release on Wii, Nintendo DS and PC. Click through below the fold for a look at the game in motion. ... Read more