By Peter Cohen, IDG News Service

Game publisher Virtual Programming has announced the release of updates for its Macintosh conversions of Crusader Kings and Victoria, two strategy games. X3: Reunion has also been updated. The updates are available as downloads from its Web site.

Crusader Kings brings you back to the days of medieval Europe, when feudal empires ruled the land, from 1066 AD to 1453 AD. you take control of one of the dynasties of Europe and try to form a great nation. In Victoria, you rule England from the early 19th century to the dawn of the 20th century, turning the country into one of the greatest empires the world has ever known. X3: Reunion is an action game set in outer space, where you participate in trade and combat while you pilot spaceships.

The updates to Crusader Kings and Victoria address issues with Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard," and also correct problems with saved multiplayer games and improve stability. X3: Reunion has been updated with stability improvements and better support for Leopard; the German and French localizations also include fixes for in-game speech.

Other Virtual Programming games will update automatically if the latest previous updates have already been installed. That list includes Europa Universalis 2, Doomsday, Armageddon, Hearts of Iron 2 and Victoria: Revolutions.