I tried the Battle Realms demo last night and have found I really like this game. Very playable with excellent graphics.

One thing I have noticed in the demo is the lack of ambient sounds ? Anyone else notice this ?

Apart from that I am very close to buying the game.

It is indeed a very well made game. However, it some problems that probably aren't evident in a demo-- in particular, extreme micromanagement, which is required to win almost all the later levels.