THQ have announced the next chapter in the Company of Heroes franchise. A key feature of the expansion will be an upgraded version of the much-admired Essence engine. It's the first expansion for the excellent RTS and is due in the autumn of 2007.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts is the next chapter in the critically acclaimed Company of Heroes series. Players take command of the German Panzer Elite as they struggle against the might of Operation Market Garden, or lead the British 2nd Army in the vicious battle for Caen, France. The standalone title features two unique armies with full length campaigns, new multiplayer modes, Microsoft DirectX® 10 support, mission persistence, improved vehicle and soldier AI, enhanced physics, and a dynamic weather system.

The original game raised the bar pretty high, so if the expansion can improve on that we might have something special on our hands.