If your games of Europa Universalis IV aren't going quite as swimmingly as you'd hoped you might be glad to hear that Paradox Interactive have issued a free update to the tremendous grand strategy game, unfortunately it won't make you better at conquering but it may help with a few things out of your control.

The new update will probably be patched in already if you've started up your PC and implements hundreds of fixes, feature updates, balance adjustments, as well as support for windowed full screen and new idea groups for more than 20 nations, not to mention the new 'suggest demands' button that will automatically populate a peace offering that your AI opponent will accept, through personally I always felt I'd smashed them enough that they would always gladly give me what I wanted! If you want to see exactly what the patch fixes, you can read all the details on the Paradox Plaza Forums

But that's not all! Alongside the release of the free update comes two new DLC packs for those players that want to truly expand on their empire expansions with the 'American Dream' and 'National Monuments II' packs, these add the ability to live out the American Revolution through in-game events before going out and conquering new iconic landmarks around the world.

There's more! If you're excited by the brilliant strategy of the grandest nature, but are too afraid to dip your toes in the deep end of the subgenre, a strategy guide has been released for Europa Universalis IV by a bit of a guru of the series Jason Pitruzzello, created for both new and experienced players it gives invaluable tips on how to succeed and a special section on the differences between EUIV and its predecessors.

Lastly, if if you enjoyed the first episode of 'Frenemies' the second episode is now available to watch:

From the team that brought you the critically acclaimed Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV hopes to further the foundations of the award winning series that redefined grand strategy gaming for a generation and sold over a million copies. If you haven't seen it, be sure to check out our review of the game.

Europa Universalis IV is out now for Windows PC, Mac and Linux, for £34.99, with the Deluxe Extreme Edition for £39.99 from a variety of digital distributers. Don't forget a demo is available to download if you aren't sure if this grand strategy is your cup of tea.