Zuma's Revenge!

Singer and former Atomic Kitten turned celebrity chef Liz McClarnon was at Tower Bridge, London yesterday to cuddle up with Pudsey Bear for the launch of the PopCap Celebrity Play-offs in association with Welcome Break - a national fundraising tour in aid of BBC Children in Need 2009.

Liz and Pudsey climbed aboard an iconic London cab to get the UK tour on the road. The PopCap Celebrity Play-offs tour will get the nation gaming with a fun-packed party bus, which will roll into Welcome Break locations nationally. On board, Pudsey will be joined by celebrities who will challenge members of the great British public to beat their score on the latest hit game from PopCap.com, Zuma’s Revenge! – while also raising valuable funds for BBC Children in Need 2009.

Hopping aboard from Sunday 25 October to Sunday 1 November to try their luck in the PopCap Celebrity Playoffs will be TMI TV presenters Sam and Mark, Casualty star James Redmond and national TV treasures Sooty & Sweep – with lots of surprise stars along the way. The tour will stop off at Welcome Break locations in Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Keele, Leicester, Sheffield and Huddersfield.

All money raised will go towards achieving Welcome Break’s overall fundraising target for BBC Children in Need in advance of the live Appeal show which takes place on 20 November 2009. These crucial pennies raised to BBC Children in Need will improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Remember the games are not just for kids. Everyone is welcome to come along and meet top sporting heroes and stars of stage and screen as they play Zuma’s Revenge! - the newest game in the PopCap.com’s portfolio. In fact, the majority of people playing at PopCap.com are over 30 and female and say the games help reduce stress and help to aid mental cognition. So Mum and Gran could really give the celebrities a run for their money!

In Zuma’s Revenge! the player takes the role of a fearless ball-shooting frog, exploring ancient temples and ruins. By firing coloured spheres into an advancing chain of balls to make matches of three or more, the frog blasts his way through a series of arcade challenges.

To get practising to beat the celebrity at your local event, visit www.popcap.com where you can play a free trial of Zuma’s Revenge! and check out lots of other free games. For more information on the events and the campaign, please email popcap@focuspr.co.uk or call 020 7845 6600.

ENDS

For more information, game samples, case studies or images please contact Holly Blake, Beth Robinson, Sylvia Palamoudian, Sarah Egerton or Lily Pickard at Focus PR: popcap@focuspr.co.uk or 020 7845 6600

Notes to editors

The tour will be taking place in the following locations on the following dates:

Cardiff Gate Welcome Break, M4 Motorway Sunday 25 October

Gordano Welcome Break, Bristol Welcome Break, M5 Motorway Saturday 26 October

Hopwood Park Welcome Break, Birmingham, M42 Motorway Tuesday 28 October

Keele Welcome Break, M6 Motorway Wednesday 29 October

Woodall Welcome Break, Sheffield, M1 Motorway Friday 30 October

Hartshead Moor Welcome Break, Yorkshire, M62 Motorway Saturday 31 October

Leicester Forrest East Welcome Break, M1 Motorway Sunday 1 November

About PopCap

PopCap Games ( www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of fun, easy-to-learn, captivating video games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 240 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 25 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only “casual games” developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile phones, MP3 players, and game devices.

BBC Children in Need

The BBC Children in Need Appeal is a charity registered in England and Wales (802052) and Scotland (SC039557) whose aim is to make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

In 2008, The BBC Children in Need Appeal raised a massive £38 million, with a record-breaking on-the-night total of £20, 991,216.

The next BBC Children in Need Appeal will take place on 20 November 2009.

Thanks to public donations and the amazing efforts of fundraisers, schools, businesses and corporate partners over the last 30 years, over half a billion has been raised towards helping to make a positive change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the country.

BBC Children in Need awards grants to organisations working with children aged 18 and under who have mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering distress, abuse or neglect.

For every penny donated to the charity, a penny goes directly to a project. The charity is able to make this promise because it uses its investment income to cover all operational costs.

For more information please visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey

Welcome Break

Welcome Break currently operates 24 sites across the UK. The company offers motorists services, good and amenities including fuel, restaurants, retail shopping, rest areas, leisure facilities and overnight accommodation.

2009 is the third year Welcome Break has exclusively supported BBC Children in Need. In 2007, Welcome Break raised over £67,000 for BBC Children in Need. In 2008, Welcome Break handed over £174,000 to the charity.

A full list of Welcome Break's sites can be found at www.welcomebreak.co.uk

For further information about Welcome Break, please contact: Matt King on 07825057545 or matt.king@welcomebreak.co.uk

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The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein that are listed at www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap Games, Inc. or its licensors and may be registered in some countries. Other company and product names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners and are used for the benefit of those owners