D3Publisher of America will release its wildly game Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for Wii, PlayStation 2 and Windows PC this Spring, opening the experience to an entirely new audience of fans who have been clamouring for additional platform releases since the game's debut on handheld consoles.

Puzzle Quest, the #1 selling puzzle game in the US for Nintendo DS in 2007 according to NPD, will also become available in the coming months on Xbox Live Arcade.

"The lightning quick acceptance and praise we received from fans and press for the fun, deeply immersive gaming experience we created by mixing RPG elements with puzzle gameplay were a dream come true when Puzzle Quest launched," says Steve Fawkner, lead designer and chief executive officer of Infinite Interactive, creator of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. "The gaming community has offered such warm support and we are elated to open the game up to more fans by offering new ways to play."

D3PA's recently acquired development studio, Vicious Cycle Software, co-developer of Puzzle Quest for the PSP system, will develop Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for PlayStation 2 and Wii, while the PC publishing and distribution rights were awarded to THQ's ValuSoft and THQ Wireless divisions.

"It has been tremendously exciting for us to see Puzzle Quest find such a wide-ranging audience," said Yoji Takenaka, executive vice president and chief operating officer, D3PA. "We look forward to growing the fanbase even further through what we are confident will be successful relationships with such highly regarded allies as Infinite Interactive, THQ and Vicious Cycle."

Designed specifically to entertain both casual and hardcore gamers with its deep immersion, five- to fifteen-minute play sessions and turn-based play style, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords incorporates strategy, role-playing elements and a persistent storyline in a puzzle board setting.

Set in the Warlords universe, the game challenges players to create, develop and customise the ultimate hero in order to save the land of Etheria from evil Lord Bane. To advance their character, players battle in turn-based, head-to-head "match-three" style puzzle games in one of three distinct gameplay modes: single-player allows gamers to battle against the AI as they embark on over 150 challenging quests, Instant Action allows gamers to jump in and immediately play continuous battles to level-up characters without participating in quests, and multiplayer allows gamers to battle live opponents.

Victory will advance the player's hero, magical arsenal, creature companions and more - ultimately rewarding gamers at nearly every turn and providing endless hours of replayability.