If you are a veteran player looking for a serious challenge, here's your chance to prove you have mastered this game. Be prepared for massive, decisive battles of progressively tougher difficulty, with a grand finale destined to become a tactical nightmare! Recommended only for experienced players who know all the tricks of the game. Play this map on Champion level, with Mobile Guards.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF "A GRANDMASTER'S CHALLENGE":

* Artificially enhanced, super-strong computer heroes, up to a maximum of Level 70.

* Super-sized armies, potentially reaching numbers exceeding 100.000 strong.

* More than a dozen major battles to be fought.

* Lots of Relics and special artifacts to be discovered.

* Experience awarded for completing quests and for major achievements.

* Different objectives and rewards depending on which alignment you play (you always play as Purple Player, but you are free to choose alignment).

* Depending on your choice, some important computer heroes may adapt by automatically equipping different artifacts in response, like Armor or Shields of the opposite alignment to you, ensuring that they and their army always have a permanent Ward against your troops and spells.

* Neutral (Gray) heroes roam freely around the central island, capable of capturing towns and mines, while automatically generating troops for their armies every turn.

* Optional in-game help (for a price) and cheat (renouncing any claim to victory).

* Option to continue the game after the time limit has expired (renouncing any claim to victory).

* Shops. Well, sort of. More of a convenience to keep your inventory tidy than a way to make a fortune, really. The shop keeper isn't very bright, he will buy all your crappy stuff, in bulk.

* Upkeep: Captured enemy towns demand resources to stay loyal to you, with a chance for rebellion in favour of their original owner. This way, previously eliminated Players may re-emerge!

* Collaboration: If a computer Player liberates a town or mine originally belonging to another member of the computer Alliance, they won't keep it for themselves, but will give it back to its original owner instead. This is another way that previously eliminated Players may re-emerge!

* Strategic warfare: At some point, if the war goes badly for the computer, it may begin to fight dirty, and attack you in unconventional and cowardly ways rather than using brute force.

* Automatic hero improvement: After a certain time, when the warning message is given, the elite heroes of your main computer opponent will start to increase their attributes rapidly, with different countdown timers for their Defense, Attack, Spell Points, Speed and Level. If you take to long, you may have to face unbelievably strong heroes!