Valve's Doug Lombardi has revealed that the next chapter in Half-Life 2 has been pushed back until summer 2007.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two screenshot

Originally intended for the end of 2006, then early 2007, HL2: Episode Two is now down for a summer 2007 release - that's according to Doug Lombardi who has been talking to CVG.

The delay also means we won't be seeing the equally anticipated Team Fortress 2 and Portal until the summer also. In addition to the PC version, the delay has a knock-on effect for the planned Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, which obviously cannot be released until Episode Two is complete. These console versions will also contain Half-Life 2, HL2: Episode One, plus Portal and Team Fortress 2.

The whole episodic nature of these Half-Life 2 episodes is becoming less and less with each delay, with Episode Two fast becoming just another game in the Half-Life series.