Paramount launches free game to promote movie

Movie studio Paramount Pictures has launched a free videogame for the PC and Mac, which is designed to promote the arrival of its forthcoming movie, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

The game, which is freely downloadable from the movie's website, features four levels which combine aerial shoot 'em up style play with racing objectives - perhaps not the most innovative or taxing game ever created, but for the price tag, you can hardly argue.

Paramount is also planning a promotion which will see players of the game participating in an "Air Combat Challenge", with the eventual winner being brought to London to see the premiere of the movie in September.

This isn't the first time that a movie has used a free videogame as a promotional tool - gothic vampire flick Underworld was supported by the launch of a surprisingly good PC first person shooter title, which was also free to download, starting off what has apparently become something of a trend.