This map is rated hard for the diffucult attack. I would rate the Defending normal. I made up a (very)little story to go with the map to add backround. You may experiance some problems with the enemy attacking if you set it to the easy diffuculty level. Post any suggestions and comments here, but if you have found a problem please e-mail me.
No probs here!
Playabiliy: Nice, especially for a new(?) designer.
Balance: (On attacker) Good work here, the pitch is a little frustrating, and the ballistae are a hazard for trebs that get too close, but not too hard. (On defender) This was easier as FP said, but still a bit of challenge so you aren't bored.
Creativity: A fort/castle with lots of marsh around is not new, though I haven't seen one near ocean.
Map design: Again, good work, I can't remember if the forests were grown or placed, if the former, a note to Freddy P: Everybody likes to have "grown" forests by placing a few trees and letting them grow, this adds 'baby' trees which give much more realism. The rest of the terrain was nice as well.
Story: Another good mark. No bad grammar, not like you just typed something out, or even worse nothing, it definitely added to the map.
Overall: Nice one Freddy P! I enjoyed this, and I have decided to dust of my Stronghold CD because of it.