Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans

Planegg/Germany, March 2009

Slitherine, an independent publisher based in the UK, and Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, today announced the new game Horrible Histories™ Ruthless Romans for PC, Wii and Nintendo DS. This title constitutes the first release resulting from the license agreement between Slitherine and Horrible Histories™ publishers Scholastic UK Ltd. The game is being developed by Virtual Identity.

The Horrible Histories™ brand is an internationally bestselling series of history books for children, with more than 20 million copies sold worldwide since 1993. Author Terry Deary and illustrator Martin Brown have brought the past to life for millions of children in an uniquely entertaining way. The computer game version of their Ruthless Romans book will provide whole families with a fun way to learn about Roman history.

The main plot of Horrible Histories™ Ruthless Romans follows the struggle of young Rassimus to achieve glory as a gladiator and obtain his freedom. Rassimus, a slave and an ambitious gladiator-in-training, has been raised as a foundling by the great gladiator trainer Lucius Gladius, and spent nearly 12 years in his service. Lucius has now given him a chance to begin his training, and Rassimus hopes that he will be successful and one day become a citizen of Rome.

Horrible Histories™ Ruthless Romans is an entertaining and easily accessible adventure game on PC and Nintendo DS, and offers this fun even for up to 4 players on Wii. A total of over 30 mini games are available for aspiring gladiators. These and all quests are playable in any order. The in-game tutorial and a diary that provides useful information throughout the game make Horrible Histories™ Ruthless Romans suitable for children, parents and teenagers. The title will be released in the second quarter of this year.

About Koch Media

Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and movies on DVD). The company's own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe and the USA. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous software and games manufacturers: Kaspersky Labs, Nero, Cyberlink, PC Tools, Net Nanny, Cakewalk, Gotham New Media, AVG Technologies, Eleco, Mr Site, Braingame, Mindscape, Slitherine, RTL, Blade Interactive etc. Headquartered in Planegg near Munich/Germany, Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, and the USA. www.kochmedia.com

About Slitherine

Slitherine is a privately funded and independent UK developer and publisher. Slitherine is dedicated to bringing highly playable and approachable strategy games to the mass market with a specific dedication to history of all ages. Slitherine Software is uniquely placed to deliver due to its experience within the industry and also the wider gaming community.

Internet site - www.slitherine.com

About Horrible Histories

Horrible Histories™ is the world’s best-selling history series for children. The first books were published in 1993 and the series has gone on to sell over 20 million copies globally, in 37 countries and 31 languages. By focusing on the “nasty bits” of history, author Terry Deary’s irreverent humour and Martin Brown’s witty cartoons have made history accessible and entertaining for children of all ages.

www.horrible-histories.co.uk

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries, and television networks; and the Company's Internet Site, www.scholastic.com.

About Scholastic Media

Scholastic Media (SM), the entertainment and media division of Scholastic, is a leading producer of quality, family-oriented content across multiple platforms, including feature films, television programming, videos, interactive and audio products, and web sites, and is a major developer and marketer of children's brands worldwide.

About Terry Deary

Terry Deary is the author of nearly 200 books in the UK mainly for children and teenagers. His books are sold in 40 languages from Russia to Brazil, Scandinavia to China. He was born in Sunderland, England, in 1946 and now lives in County Durham, in the North-east of England. Terry is a former actor, theatre-director and museum manager. In 32 years as an author his writing has included fiction for juniors and teenagers, and popular nonfiction series (Horrible Histories, being the best-selling with over 20 million worldwide.) In 2000 a Schoolsnet survey made him the most borrowed British author in school libraries while a Guardian survey of March 05 made him Britain’s fifth most popular living children’s author.

Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo.

* * *

For further enquiries, please contact:

Koch Media Slitherine

Dave Harrison, UK PR Executive press@slitherine.co.uk

The Bull Pens

Manor Court

Scratchface Lane, Herriard

Hampshire, RG25 2PH

D.Harrison@kochmedia.com