HISTORY™ Great Empires: Rome

Varese, 24th of April 2008 - Black Bean, a leading European publisher of video games, is pleased to announce the release of Slitherine’s HISTORY™ Great Empires: Rome, on the Nintendo DS™ format. The video game will be released in Summer 2008.

HISTORY™ Great Empires: Rome follows the successful release of Slitherine’s THE HISTORY CHANNEL ® Great Battles of Rome videogame, published on PC, PlayStation®2 and PSP® which launched in May 2007 and achieved significant chart success at launch, including top 5 and top 10 positions throughout Europe. The game continues to sell well to a mass market audience.

HISTORY™ Great Empires: Rome is an accessible and compelling strategy game in which the player takes centre stage in building the biggest empire the world has ever seen. Through a fascinating blend of strategy, diplomacy and warfare, players develop vast, diverse cities and create powerful armies to defend, explore and conquer.

The game offers exceptional historical accuracy, drawing on the programming resources of the global television network, HISTORY. Like the emperors of ancient Rome, players are able to direct armies, manage resources, forge alliances and go to battle on the road to creating their own Roman Empire. The inclusion of a series of bonus mini-games allows the player to be immersed in the historical context of the era.

"We are very excited to build on the success of Great Battles of Rome by creating a truly unique product for the Nintendo DS™. Drawing on the strength of the HISTORY brand, we are confident that we can capture both the strategy gaming enthusiast and the casual gaming audience”, said David Pain, General Manager of Lago srl and Black Bean.

“We are extremely pleased to be working again with Black Bean, who has been our partner since the release of Legion Arena,” said JD McNeil, Director of Slitherine Software. “Our mission has always been to create product that blends historical accuracy with an exceptional gaming experience. We are sure that this new project will once again prove us right.”

Divide et Impera! - Divide and Rule

[About Slitherine] - Slitherine Software UK Ltd. is a privately funded and independent UK developer and publisher. It launched the Slitherine Strategies brand in 2002. Through this brand Slitherine is dedicated to bringing highly playable and approachable strategy games to the mass market. Slitherine Software is uniquely placed to deliver due to its experience within the industry and also the wider gaming community. www.slitherine.com

For Press Enquiry, please contact: press@slitherine.co.uk

[About HISTORY] - Now available in 135 countries in more than 235 million TV households, History l is the only international television network devoted exclusively to historical programming, featuring informative and entertaining series, specials and documentaries. The network reveals the power and passion of history, allowing viewers to experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past.

For Press Enquiry, please contact: kerri.tarmey@aetn.com

[About Lago Srl / Black Bean] - Black Bean is the games label of Lago Srl, which is part of the Leader Group. Leader SpA has been the leading independent distributor in Italy since it started business in 1984. Lago is based in Gazzada (Varese) which is situated 30 miles north of Milan in northern Italy. Black Bean label’s philosophy is to focus on a wide range of games genre leveraging on the niche targets that remain uncovered into the market. By adding original content to the products and by fully localising the titles Black Bean's vision is to remain close to player's needs. Black Bean has distribution partners all across Europe and PAL territories including Australia and South Africa. www.blackbeangames.com

Press Contacts

Pulsar Communication (Europe except UK)

Alberto Belli

CEO

+39 335 7181610

a.belli@pulsarsrl.com

Livio Cantagallo

Senior Account

+39 347 698 2081

l.cantagallo@pulsarsrl.com

Black Bean (UK)

Davide Latina

PR Manager

+44 (0) 0789 9846 748

d.latina@blackbeangames.com