Mars is the father of Rome's legendary twin founders, Romulus and Remus. For this reason, the people of that great city feel a special affinity for him. The son of Jupiter and Juno, he is mighty in battle and handsome of visage, but also callous, brutal and cruel. His brother, Vulcan, was cast out of Olympus as a child because of his ugliness. However, he set up a forge beneath the volcanic Mount Etna, where his incomparable skills as a metalworker and craftsman eventually led to a reconciliation. He is the creator of his father's devastating thunderbolts, Apollo's sun-chariot and many other wonders. His wife is Venus, goddess of love, beauty and desire. She resents her spouse for being as unsightly as she is fair, and has had numerous affairs, including a series of dalliances with her brother in law.

Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising is Perpetual Entertainment's persistent state offering in which these and other deities, a total of 12 grouped into triads, will play central roles by appearing in the game to provide quests, support and great powers to those who align with them. Players will be heroes of the Republic around 300 BC, a period when it is growing but still faces threats from the likes of the Carthaginians, Gauls, Samnites, Greeks, Etruscans and Sabines. The game will also integrate other dangers such as creatures drawn from myths and legends; a few examples are gigantic Cyclopes, snake-haired Gorgons, mighty Minotaurs, cannibalistic Laestrygones, Volta wolf-men and fire-breathing Chimeras. Since an initial glimpse in early March when the title was announced, we've definitely been eager to know more, so it was great to question two of the project's principals.