PRO RUGBY MANAGER 2 STARTS WARM-UP

Disappointed England rugby fans can today finally raise a smile, as Britsoft games publisher Digital Jesters announces a name change to Pro Rugby Manager 2005 - the latest-line up in its range of stunning sports management titles to Pro Rugby Manager 2.

The outstanding sequel to this year's Pro Rugby Manager 2004 will offer a vast array of visual and gaming improvements - which gives players the closest insight yet into the strategies and tactics necessary for turning league and national sides into unstoppable, try-scoring teams.

Andy Robinson can take advantage of the code for the upcoming Six Nations. An overhaul in every sense of its predecessor, it sets new standards for sports management games which are in 2D and 3D.

Offering over 40 fully-licensed and faithfully replicated club and national teams, players can tinker with tactics, formation, line-up and training before each match. During the game, Pro Rugby Manager 2 displays each bone-crunching tackle, each heart-in-mouth drop kick and every maddening pass and dash to the try-line in such glorious, motion-captured detail, it rivals anything TV coverage can offer.

Every Zurich Premiership team plays in a fully rendered stadium created from the real stadiums themselves. In addition, 18 other rugby landmarks appear in the game, so players can feel the thrill of Vicarage Road stadium the buzz of the Headingly stadium and the atmosphere of the Causeway stadium.

Fresh faces can be brought into the team to compete alongside more famous players, with training regimes set and tweaked to develop stamina, vision, strategies and skills. Injury management has been improved to allow players to get their team in perfect shape for every match.

Stats and player rosters will be fully up to date for time of launch, resulting in the closest thing to running a professional rugby team the games world has ever seen.

"Pro Rugby Manager 2 is a fully-fledged sequel in every sense," says Leo Zullo, Marketing Director, Digital Jesters. "A complete overhaul in every sense, it's a stunning recreation of one of the most difficult management jobs in the world. We had originally planned to release this under the title of Pro Rugby Manager 2005 - but the changes and enhancements from the previous version are so substantial it's transformed into a true sequel rather than an update."

Pro Rugby Manager 2 will be available on PC CD-ROM in February 2005.

For more information please visit: www.prorugbymanager.com

Ends

Note to editors: Founded in 2003, Digital Jesters is a British-based publisher of computer and video games. Set up by the duo responsible for launching and establishing the Sudden Strike and Cossacks series of games in the UK, the firm's remit is simple: to source and publish the best games available. The company's commitment to originality resulting in it snapping up the original TrackMania game from French developer Nadeo and DJ's ethos of community development strategy resulted in the game becoming one of the sleeper hits of the year. A tie-in with record-breaking yachtswoman Ellen Macarthur for the firm's second release Virtual Skipper 3 ensured the game received widespread attention among the elusive non-gamer, and firmly placed the publisher on the map. The firm has enjoyed three top 10 PC hits and is expanding its operation to cover additional territories. It has also published its own comic book to widespread critical acclaim.

Specialist Press Contact Details:

DIGITAL JESTERS

Neena Patel / neena.patel@digitaljesters.com

Rob Donald / rob.donald@digitaljesters.com

Tel: 01707 871516

Mainstream Press Contact Details:

BARRINGTON HARVEY PR

Leo Tan / Helen Page

Leo.tan@bhpr.co.uk / helen.page@bhpr.co.uk

Tel: 01462 456780