Nintendo of Japan has announced that it will launch a new battery pack for the GBA SP in mid-May, which will apparently deliver 75 per cent more play time than the original pack. The new battery will go on sale on May 17, priced at 1980 Yen (just short of £10), and has a capacity of 1000mA - giving GBA SP owners 17.5 hours of backlit play time.

Zuxxez is proud to announce the PC demo release for it's casual gaming phenomena Chicken Shoot. Featuring one great level of this excellent shooting orgy, players find themselves in the Nevada Desert portrayed in a wonderful hand drawn backdrop and with no end of gags and hilarious chickens. This is only a small taste of what is to come when the very promising full version is released very soon and this small taste is quite a mouthful. Read more for download links ...

UbiSoft has released a new patch for their stealth third-person action game Splinter Cell, bringing your European ONLY edition to v1.2. This release implements a variety of graphics enhancements and fixes, as well as gameplay tweaks and other bug fixes. The US patch is expected soon (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for details and download links ...

Titus Interactive announced today that Top Gun: Combat Zones, the next generation of flying action now brought to the PC, is hitting shelves this month in Europe. Based on the Playstation 2 smash hit, Top Gun: Combat Zones is developed by Digital Integration, its wholly owned development studios.

Atari adds to the success of the Dragon Ball Z franchise by introducing an all new role playing adventure game for the Game Boy Advance. Capitalizing on the success of Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku, the best-selling role playing game for the Game Boy Advance in 2002, Atari today announced Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II. Slated to release in June 2003, Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II adds a thrilling new chapter that invites players to experience even more of the Dragon Ball Z story.

GameCaptain.de send word about that JoWoods recently announced Railroiad-Strategy game "Railroad Giant: The Pioneer" has been renamed to the final worldwide title "Railroad Pioneer".

In "Vultures" the gamer lives the hard gladiator life: in different arenas and with classical or modern/futuristic weapons at his disposal the gladiator has to defeat his enemies in a duel in order to survive. The aim is to win to become undefeated champion of the "Vultures".. Read more for 3 new screens!

Microsoft wants to let people know that DVDs aren't just for viewing anymore. Users of Windows-based PCs can participate in movies in ways never before imagined by creating their own commentary or actually becoming movie characters. And everything necessary is likely included in the DVDs users probably already own.

IOL reports that a mother in Israel actually stabbed her 26-year-old son to death in a dispute over his refusal to get off the computer and make his bed. The mother, Yelena Avramenko, 49, even later admitted to killing her son, Denis, and re-enacted the crime in front of investigators.

"I asked him a number of times to stop playing on the computer and to go and make his bed," the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot quoted the mother as saying. "After a while I saw him lying on his bed. I asked him again to make his bed but he just cursed me. I got angry and went to the kitchen, and in the heat of the moment I took a knife and stabbed him."

Twilight Software is proud to announce that its adventure game The Sydney Mystery is now available for online purchase at the official website. The Sydney Mystery is an adventure game photographed and filmed on location in Sydney, Australia by a small group of enthusiasts and friends on a shoe-string budget. The Sydney Mystery contains over 240 scenes, 11 characters, 17 authentic Sydney locations and loads more puzzles, music and exploration. In the adventure, you play the niece of a retired private investigator. When your uncle is kidnapped, it's up to you to unravel the mystery. Who kidnapped your uncle? Who is behind the bombings in Sydney? Why is this happening? Only by playing the Full Game while you discover all this and more!

After the U.S. version of the game already made it's way into the stores, the 1503 A.D. web team are proud to announce that the international version, entitled ANNO 1503 - The New World, is now available in more than 70 countries around the world. To celebrate this event and to give you a first impression of the tensing story line, they present you an audible appetizer of the game's first mission briefing in five different languages.

HD Interactive today announce that the European version of Devastation, the next-generation Unreal engine-powered first person shooter, is now GOLD. It is currently being sent for duplication, and will be on retail shelves throughout Europe in the next couple of weeks. Devastation features amazing graphics, an intriguing and involved storyline, intelligent NPC and enemy AI, incredible weaponry, the ability to pick up and throw items in the environment, and a brand new style of multiplayer gaming called Territories. Read more for details ...

CCP is now accepting applications for the upcoming beta test of EVE: The Second Genesis. The beta test will operate in a number of phases, with a large group of players working in concert to play the game. It will start early in the year 2002 in a closed beta testing phase with limited numbers of participants, later evolving into a larger community testing the game´s performance. They will initially select a small group, but will gradually increase the numbers of participants as the beta testing progresses. This gives participants several opportunities to contribute to the creation of EVE. Sign up here!

Etherlords II is the sequel to the innovative turn-based strategy game originally released in November 2001. Similar to Etherlords I, which was highly praised for its tactical depth and stunning graphics, Etherlords II promises to be even more spectacular, changing the emphasis of the game from simple exploration and resource gathering to a more enriching story-driven adventure. check out these 3 brand new screens ...

Paradox Entertainment announces that they have entered into an agreement with Swiss company Inca Gold GmbH to acquire the Rock Solid Studios Technology, known as RSSTech. Inca Gold recently acquired all the assets in the Swedish Rock Solid Studios AB bankruptcy, including the world leading graphics engine RSSTech. A consortium led by Paradox Entertainment has now entered into an agreement with Inca Gold to develop and commercialise the technology, which may be renamed.

Diversions Entertainment, Inc's One Must Fall: Battlegrounds will ship in Q2 2003. One Must Fall: Battlegrounds promises to deliver the next-generation of hand-to-hand robot action-combat bringing players the most intense and visually stunning 3D fighter on the PC. Building on the growing popularity of PC fighting games, One Must Fall: Battlegrounds features unique, out-of-this-world characters; stunningly detailed graphics; lightning-paced and fluid gameplay; and a unique 3rd person fighting point of view.

Face of Mankind is a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) within a persistent world. Thousands of players throughout the world can compete in this realistic and futuristic world of the 24th century. It combines an epic story-driven mission system over years with a complex economic system which can also affect the story deeply. Although roleplaying takes a large part, Face of Mankind is not like usual RPG´s. You have control over a very intuitive interface like known from famous realtime shooters, where you are able to explore the game world easily without learning through pages of a manual. The cutting edge graphics engine will present you a world of 5 huge cities on earth and several distant colonies in outer space. Sign up now for the first of 4 beta test stages (starting November 2003).

Publisher Strategy First and developer Just Flight Games announced today that The Dam Busters, their add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000/2002 and/or Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2, has shipped to retail stores nationwide. “The Dam Busters brings one of Europe’s most historical raids to life on the PC,” says Steve Milburn, Director of Marketing for Strategy First Inc. “Any fan of MSFS® and MSCFS® will enjoy this game.”