"'Men in Black II: Alien Escape' is as action-packed and exciting as the motion picture," said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and general manager of Infogrames' Los Angeles studio. "The game offers players a fast-paced shooter with the quick-witted commentary typical of Agents J and K. Featuring snappy one-liners, and bizarre, humorous situations, 'Men in Black II: Alien Escape' is no ordinary video game experience."

In "Men in Black II: Alien Escape," Agents J and K discover a space prison hulk that crashed into the Earth's ocean decades ago, carrying the most dangerous alien gangs in the galaxy. The ship's arrival unleashed a large number of unlicensed and unaccounted-for aliens now hiding out on Earth, each a hardened criminal. There's only one possible course of action - hunt them down and bring them in - dead or alive.

Players can select J, quick-witted and dangerously hip, or K, the confident veteran. While J moves at a faster pace, K's experience and technologically superior weapons give him an edge. Allowing players to switch between characters enables them to experiment with various weapons and character strengths. A non-playable character partner appears in computer-generated cut-scenes and via comlink throughout the game, providing backup, advice and, of course, off-the- wall wisecracks.

A host of new aliens from the upcoming movie sequel add to the mayhem while popular creatures from the 1997 film, including the ever-popular Worm Guys,
make an appearance. While some aliens are allies and informants, most are hostile and intimidating and will do whatever they can to take over the planet.

"Men in Black II: Alien Escape" features five distinct episodes with varying themes and settings - each with its own sub-levels and story scenes. Players blast their way through a disreputable dockside, a natural magnet for "business" aliens particularly those with a penchant for smuggling. A nuclear plant decommissioned for failing to meet EPA standards provides a perfect backdrop for alien mischief. Players also cruise through the rough and tumble Manhattan streets, high tech Global Inc. with a reputation for off-world alien involvement, and the alien prison ship VVS Maxim Securitus.

"Men in Black II: Alien Escape" features the stylish signature silver weapons from the film. Players may try out the XD9 Lazy Weasel spread shooter, which zaps any alien life form in range into a pile of extraterrestrial goo. This shooter is ideal when there are multiple aliens to destroy. However, the standard sidearm of agents J and K is the classic J2 Blaster, a gun that strips particles from its barrel and hyper-accelerates them to dissolve unfortunate aliens. Each firearm employs a different type of technology, and the game features spread weapons, homing weapons, area effect weapons, beam weapons and charge weapons. With these high tech, high power alien killing machines, the Men in Black are an unstoppable duo bent on kicking alien butt!

Developed by Infogrames' Melbourne House, "Men in Black II: Alien Escape" is available at most major retail stores this week for an estimated street price of $29.95 and is rated "T" for Teens.