The battle has begun. Paradox Interactive has released the third installment of its popular World War II strategy series, Hearts of Iron III.

Featuring in-depth simulations of World War II battles, veteran soldiers and new recruits alike will find much to satisfy their appetite for strategic planning in Hearts of Iron III. Set in the wartime period of 1936-1948, Hearts of Iron III retains the popular core gameplay of previous installments in the series, and adds brand new features such as a huge game map with more than 14,000 land and sea provinces.

Battle it out and take the reins of larger superpowers such as Russia or the United States, or build up smaller nations such as Costa Rica. Hearts of Iron III enables strategy fans to choose the outcome of one of the grandest wars of all time. The power, responsibility and decision-making process of a nation at war all lies within your hands.

Hearts of Iron III is available for purchase in US retail stores and all major digital-distribution channels.

You can listen to an interview between GiN and the HOI3 developers here: http://www.gameindustry.com/podcast/item.asp?id=27