SNOWBOARD KIDS DOUBLE-UP

Friday 25 November 2005/... Rising Star Games today announced that it has snapped up the DS version of a cult snowboarding racer, Snowboard Kids. SBK: Snow Board Kids, to give it its full title, is the first new game announced for Rising Star's bustling 2006 release schedule, taking the young publisher's output in a new direction whilst sticking to its remit of bringing distinctive Japanese games to the European market.

SBK: Snow Board Kids follows on from previous versions of the game, which combined downhill snowboarding action with Mario Kart-style dynamics to create a uniquely dynamic hybrid with a distinct emphasis on trick-happy fun.

Players take to the slopes with one of six cute and charming characters, racing to the finish along impressively detailed courses whilst attempting to maximise scores and generate income by performing whatever tricks they can along the way. Competition is intensified with a strategic distribution of powerups around the courses and the inclusion of personal special moves for all players, which include flaming fireballs and pace shattering freeze attacks. Special tricks are also available, bringing the handheld's unique features to the fore with an innovative touchscreen method for activating them. Special tricks can be used to deflect opponents' attacks and maintain speed during the races, which often turn into frenetic battles for first place as players race along undulating alpine tracks festooned with ramps and jump points, used for flying over vertigo-inducing chasms and crevasses.

The points earned from racing can be spent at the in-game shop on a variety of features, from new snowboards and special moves to new courses, new characters and even new game modes, details of which are to be revealed at a later date.

"SBK: Snow Board Kids is a great acquisition for us and fits into our remit perfectly as well as being our first collaboration with its Japanese publisher Atlus, which opens up a wealth of possibilities for Rising Star Games' future," said Owe Bergsten, CEO, Rising Star Games. "We'll be making more announcements about other distinctive titles in our lineup over the next 12 months. 2006 is going to be an amazing year for Rising Star Games. We're really going to hit our stride."

With a fully featured single player mode and intense wireless multiplayer game types, SBK: Snow Board Kids will be released by Rising Star Games in March 2006.