Given its status as a consistent family favorite, it"s not surprising that Warner Bros. and Traveller"s Tales have more games for the Lego franchise in the works. But today"s announcement is straying from giving a Lego makeover to established characters and instead letting the block people set out on their own. Hellbent Games is developing Lego Battles for the Nintendo DS, due out this summer. The game mixes three distinct, classic themes: Lego Castle, Pirates, and Space. It focuses on the building aspect of Legos, letting players mix units and build bases from the different themes to overcome challenges. The game will also allow for local multiplayer battles to test your Lego tactical skills.

The focus on strategic thinking may help alleviate some concerns that the series has moved away from the building aspect of the real toys. This could be the new Lego game that Traveller"s Tales producer Nick Ricks hinted at last month, saying that we"ll be "surprised." Then again, we could also still see a console release for another recognizable set of characters made over in Lego form. We"ll have to see if any other Lego plans are in the works, and if too many of them will risk oversaturating the market with small, studded bricks.