The tournament will be conducted via Internet-based games initially, until the field is whittled down to the best 16 players. At this point, the competition becomes serious as these great players will be invited to London to compete in a gruelling final stage which will unearth the best player in Europe.

A similar tournament will run concurrently in America – and once the best player over there has been declared, it's time for the two continents to go head to head in a glamorous Los Angeles final.

The European will win an expenses-paid three-day trip to LA in May. But this glamorous prize will be nothing compared to the real trophy – to be victor in Independence Day II, proving once and for all that the initial victory was nothing more than a lucky fluke. The winner of the final itself will claim an astonishing array of prizes, worth $10 000 US .

American Conquest – due for release on February 14th 2003 – portrays 300 years of historical conflict, from the moment Columbus arrived in Newfoundland to 1492, to the War and Declaration of Independence in 1776. Up to 32,000 units – a gaming record – can take part in each battle, resulting in some of the most sophisticated and epic depictions of war ever seen in a computer game. The title is historically accurate, utilising weapons and strategies of the period – which evolve throughout the game, obviously – making this a valuable educational tool, as well as a hell of a strategy game.

"This event will be see all CDV territories working together to find the undisputed strategy game king of the world," says Terry Malham, president, CDV Software Entertainment UK. "It's the most ambitious tournament we've ever organised and the prize will enable the winner not just to soak up the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, but, hopefully, humiliate an American in the process. It's time we restored part of the Empire."

Further information on the War of Independence can be found on their website.