Mastertronic releases

The August batch contains a massive mix of game styles and, having enjoyed huge success as full-price releases, each game is making its debut as a premium value title. The four games will be released across The Mastertronic Groups' PC Gamer Presents and MAD (Mastertronic Added Dimension) labels, both of which have specific qualifying criteria for games to be considered for release.

Championship Manager 2007™ will be released on the MAD label, fulfilling the criterion of selling over 100,000 units - after all, 100,000 gamers can't be wrong! All football fans around the world believe they know more about football than anybody else. Think you can do better? In Championship Manager 2007™ it's your decisions that count; your budget, your buys, your formation and your tactics. It's your chance to prove what you've got! Work out which leagues you want to run and assess the performance of the players with ProZone, an extremely powerful tool, which is a great new addition to the game! Give your team instructions on how to treat other team members using another great new feature - the opposite interaction board. With the sheer number of teams you can control, as well as the option of international management, the game is almost infinitely replayable during the course of a real-life year. Described by GameSpot as " a compelling and a deep football strategy game'", Championship Manager 2007™ will be a star player in the hands of all serious football fans!

Also due for release on the MAD label in August is Overlord™ . Do you want fear, respect, gold and power? Then embark on this groundbreaking action-adventure set in a seriously warped fantasy world and become the Overlord. The all-powerful dark lord with a horde of minions to command and a land to conquer! Controlling a mysterious figure that has inherited the legacy of the evil, long-dead Overlord, the player emerges, near death, from the ruins of the old Overlord's Dark Tower. Only the player's actions will determine if they will rise to become the new all-powerful Overlord; it's all down to how bad they're prepared to be in order to succeed... evil, or really evil! Played out with plenty of black humour and dark irony, the game will immerse players in twisted parodies of classic fantasy scenarios and characters.

Colin McRae™ DiRT™ will be released on the PC Gamer Presents label after receiving a review score of 85% - only titles earning a review score of 80% or more in PC Gamer Magazine are worthy of this Mastertronic label. Are you ready for high speed, adrenaline-fuelled, off road racing? Colin McRae™ DiRT™ delivers the most diverse selection of extreme off–road competitions ever. Sensational gravel, mud and dirt racing events from the world over will include perilous Hill Climb and collision-packed Rally Cross events. PC Gamer magazine commented: " The vastly improved physics of the cars and tracks means it feels so much more like actual driving than ever before. The new engine genuinely evokes a dirt road in the real world. It's about as good as it gets for rallying."

One more great title due for release on the PC Gamer Presents label in August is one of BioWare's best - Jade Empire™ Special Edition . In this game your struggle is timeless and your enemy is immortal. Step into the role of an aspiring martial arts master and follow the path of the Open Palm or Closed Fist. In this multi-award-winning action-RPG, your choices and actions will determine the fate of an empire. Will you prevent the destruction of this beautiful land or crush it beneath your heel? Are you a warrior who uses strength and fighting mastery to bring peace, or will your power bring pain and ruin? Described by PC Gamer magazine as " an action role-playing game with 'action' in italics and double-underlined in red biro", and gaining a review score of 86%, Jade Empire™ is an incredible, engaging story that makes you the noble hero...or the treacherous villain!

James Cato, Mastertronic's Sales Director commented: " Footballers, fantasy, driving and warriors – this latest batch of titles from Mastertronic has something for everyone, from hardcore to casual game. These titles offer quality and value and are an excellent addition to our current range."

All titles to be released on 08/08/08.

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About the Mastertronic Group Limited

Mastertronic is one of the best known electronic entertainment brands in Europe. It pioneered the European console market with its launch of the Sega Master System, invented the budget retail sector and built an international development and publishing operation under the Virgin Mastertronic label. The brand was subsequently re-launched as The Mastertronic Group Limited in 2003 by founder Frank Herman, together with Andy Payne and Garry Williams. The Group now leads the European value publishing sector through its retail brands MAD (Mastertronic Added Dimension), Sold Out (the UK's largest-selling budget operation, acquired by the Group in 2004) and PC Gamer Presents, a unique quality-assured brand in association with the leading games magazine publisher Future Publishing. The Group also offers, through its wholly owned subsidiary The Producers Limited (also acquired in 2004), a 'cradle to grave' total turnkey service for physical product, from marketing through packaging and warehousing, to retail and digital distribution. More recently in 2006, Blast Entertainment was launched as part of the group and has rapidly become a leading video game company exclusively aimed at the younger end of the kids market. Blast develops new content based on recognised family friendly licenses from films, TV, classic characters and toys and publishes on a variety of formats including PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and more recently, Nintendo Wii. In 2007 Just Flight, and its sister company Just Trains, the leading worldwide simulation specialists, were acquired by the group. Just Flight was established in 1995, and within three years became the world's largest publisher of flight simulation software outside of Microsoft, with a reputation for high quality products, published by genuine enthusiasts.