12:48 (BST), 07/04/2008

7th April 2008

Pro Cycling Manager – Tour De France 2008, the newest version of the popular racing management series for PC and PSP, is set for a Spring release in the UK. The packshot and 2 new screenshots for the PC are now available, demonstrating the game’s outstanding graphics engine and giving a taster of the hard fought races to come.

http://www.cycling-manager.com/img/pcm08/pcm08-int.rar

Play as the general manager of one of 65 official cycling teams, handling all aspects of a professional season. This includes recruiting and transferring team members, organising contacts, handling finances and arranging training to create the best possible team. The management is more realistic than ever before, through new talent recruiting and stamina systems that give each rider a fitness plan for the forthcoming season, and a highly realistic progression curve.

To make the racing more realistic, Pro Cycling – Tour de France 2008 has an advanced and aggressive rider AI, highly detailed rider models and rich environments that include a variety of buildings and landscapes. There are 180 real-time, playable 3D races, with you managing the tactics, such as attacks and relays that will affect their outcome.

Impressive track racing events, such as cycle speedway, Keirin and elimination, are available for the first time in the series to challenge your team’s track racing skills. All of these features combine to make the 2008 edition the most comprehensive and exciting replication of professional cycling.

The Sony PSP version of Pro Cycling – Tour de France 2008 has been specifically designed to make use of the console’s unique features with the highlight being the actual racing. Participate in the greatest international cycling competitions, such as the accurately recreated Tour de France 2008. Create your team from a selection of star cyclists and manage all aspects successfully to take them to the top. The 2008 edition also lets you challenge your friends in multiplayer mode, via LAN or the PSP’s WiFi features.

Visit http://www.cycling-manager.com for more information.

Ascaron Entertainment

www.ascaron.com

Cyanide

Spring 2008

TBC

3+

PC / PSP

Management / Racing

From Day One in 1989 Ascaron Entertainment has become one of the leading European “boutique” developers and Publishers of games for the PC, with many successful titles including Patrician, Port Royale, DarkStar One and SACRED.

Ascaron maintains development studios in Berlin, Gutersloh and Aachen (Germany), as well as an international department in Birmingham (UK). Ascaron currently markets its products in more than 40 countries and over 15 languages.

Ascaron Entertainment (UK) is an independent office and is highly regarded on a domestic and global scale. With a professional reputation, full-service product management, and a wealth of experience in the games industry, the UK operation manages the international releases of Ascaron's entire catalogue, whilst also providing a bespoke publishing, sales, PR and marketing function to selected affiliate label partners. Ascaron Entertainment (UK) continues to be responsible for successfully launching titles into the UK market from developers and publishers worldwide. Titles include the popular UFO, Panzers, Cossacks and Blitzkrieg series of games, as well as critically acclaimed hits such as Call of Juarez, Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle and TrackMania United. www.ascaron.com

Cyanide is a French game development studio, based in the Paris region. It currently employs forty people. Best known for its sport management sims Cycling Manager and Pro Rugby Manager, Cyanide broke the mould in the heroic-fantasy universe with its 2004 release of Chaos League, Loki and currently works on the video game adaptation of Games Workshop's famous board game: Blood Bowl.

Sarah Holden / Stephen Denton

Media Safari

T: +44 (0)1225 731388

E: sarahh@mediasafari.co.uk / stephend@mediasafari.co.uk