The new titles are part of VU Games' exclusive, long-term agreement with Tolkien Enterprises to develop interactive entertainment based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Lord of the Rings" for multiple next-generation and PC platforms. The content of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" for Xbox and Game Boy® Advance derives from the "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first installment of Tolkien's best-selling, world-renowned literary epic. Black Label Games plans to publish "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PC in October 2002.

About "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" for Xbox

Developed by Seattle-based WXP, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" for Xbox is a third-person, action-adventure title featuring three members of the Fellowship, Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf, as playable characters -- each with his own special abilities. In a storyline faithful to Tolkien's masterpiece, players perfect stealth moves as Frodo, combat fierce enemies as Aragorn and cast spells as Gandalf as they journey from the peaceful Shire through the dark depths of Moria all the way to the River Anduin. Orcs, Black Riders, the Balrog and more than 20 other types of formidable enemies stand in their way in this first leg of the quest to destroy the fabled One Ring of Power.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" maximizes the capabilities of the Xbox hardware to feature volumetric fog, multi-pass per pixel specular lighting effects, bump-mapped textures, dynamic real-time shadows and a widescreen gameplay experience.

About "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" for the Game Boy® Advance

Developed by U.K.-based Pocket Studios, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" for the Game Boy® Advance is a single player, light role-playing game that is action-oriented and fast-paced with a turn-based combat system. Players of the game follow the storyline of the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's saga and control the members of the Fellowship, at times directing the actions of up to nine characters at once during battle sequences.

Gameplay takes place across realistic backgrounds faithful to Tolkien's descriptions. The semi-linear structure of the game allows players to experiment and explore the world of Middle-earth while staying true to Frodo's quest to keep the One Ring from the hands of the Dark Lord Sauron.

"The release of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' for Xbox and GameBoy Advance represents the official launch of Vivendi Universal Games' Tolkien franchise," said Torrie Dorrell, General Manager of Black Label Games. "These games represent the hard work of talented creative and technical teams dedicated to transforming a literary epic into an engaging and quality interactive entertainment experience."

"We are thrilled to finally share our vision of Middle-earth with Tolkien's fans and adventure gaming aficionados worldwide," said Vijay Lakshman, Vice President of Production, Online Games, at Black Label Games. "These games are the first releases in a long line of rich, diverse products that will explore the enchanting and complex world of Tolkien across multiple genres and gaming platforms in the years to come."