Brian Lara International Cricket smashes into the record books and the charts as it hits No.1

Codemasters' Brian Lara International Cricket is now the official game of the summer having smashed into the Number 1 position in the UK's Top 40 All-Formats games chart, which was revealed today by Chart Track.

Like Brian Lara himself, the game has become a record-breaker too: it's the first cricket game ever to have made it to Number 1 in the All Formats chart since Chart Track began producing the best seller lists in 1997. The game launched on July 21st and its All-Formats chart placing reflects its first full week of retail sales on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC.

"Brian's back and doing the business," says Nicky Hewitt, Codemasters' Director of Marketing, "The game shot into last week's chart at number two after its opening weekend and now, with a full week of sales behind it, it's claimed the number 1 slot. It's great to have the series in action again and hitting the competition for six."

This incredible performance mirrors the series' historical success. When Brian Lara Cricket first appeared on Sega Mega Drive ten years ago it was one of the most phenomenal introductions of a sports game series and held a 10-week run as the Number One best seller on the format.

As well as chart success, Brian Lara International Cricket has also received critical acclaim, with Official PlayStation 2 magazine calling it "The best cricket game on PS2", PSW enthusing "Brian Lara hits the rest for six" and Official Xbox calling it "The most approachable and entertaining cricket game on Xbox".

Delivering the definitive cricket game experience, Brian Lara International Cricket is now available for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. The PC playable demo, along with game information and in-game videos, is now available from www.codemasters.co.uk/brianlara