Ship Simulator 2006 gone gold

Haarlem, The Netherlands, May 23rd 2006: Ever growing publisher Lighthouse Interactive today announced that their revolutionary simulation game 'Ship Simulator 2006', has gone gold and is set to 'ship' into various English speaking territories within Europe at June 15th.

Developed by Rotterdam based studio VSTEP, Ship Simulator is the comprehensive simulator that allows players to 'mission by mission' master the varying boats in ever changing breathtaking 3D environments, and share performances and created levels online. Players will master the sea, when they master Ship Simulator 2006.

"With Ship Simulator 2006 we are proud to be able to bring to the market a game that really adds to the simulation genre. This game truly is a great looking and accurate simulator; we have high expectations for this franchise", said Erik Schreuder, Lighthouse CEO.

Pjotr van Schothorst, technical Director of VSTEP, added: "For us, as a company that normally develops professional training applications, it was a great pleasure to now also produce a real computer game. We hope that everybody will have as much fun with it as we did during the development and that they learn something about ship manoeuvring and navigation along the way!"

Lighthouse further announced that various localized versions will be released around September 1 in various other European territories such as France, Spain and Italy.

About ShipSimulator 2006

Ship Simulator 2006 is a revolutionary new game that puts players at the helm of some of the most varied and detailed ships to be found at sea, where they will need to perform a multitude of tasks, all set within a stunning 3D environment. Players will take control of a wide array of ship types, from massive cargo ships to speedboats, yachts, water taxis and even the mighty Titanic. The waters you sail are also as varied as the ships, from the biggest harbours in the world, such as Rotterdam and Hamburg, to the calm aqua marine waters of the Thai Phi Phi Islands. Gamers will experience how challenging it is to steer the Titanic through shallow water, or just how it feels to navigate a cargo tanker or tug boat, including how diverse the controls are.

Game Features

- Play with 8 different ship types, each with their individual controls.
- Over 700 km2 of stunning looking recreated environments to play in. Manoeuvre ships in two of the world's largest harbours: Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Hamburg, Germany. Alternatively, just cruise around in the tropical scenery of the Thai Phi Phi Islands.
- Gameplay includes 40 very different missions, from search and rescue missions, racing a speedboat, to towing a cargo boat through a narrow harbour entrance with your tugboat.
- Earn credits by finishing missions or lose them by bumping your boat into other objects.
- Dynamic weather system, including wind force and rain, adds to the atmosphere and the realism of this simulator.
- Create your own missions using the mission editor and drag playable ships and tasks into one of the giant game environments. Populate your harbour with cranes, cargo ships, docking areas, cars and cargo stacks.
- Exchange your own missions with other players on the special forum at the game's website.
- Walk around on the Titanic. Experience the life of a passenger on board this famous ship. Enjoy the level of detail, modelled after the original design.

About VSTEP

About the creators of Ship Simulator 2006, VSTEP develops professional simulators for fire-fighters, driver training and nautical training. Since its initiation in 2002, VSTEP has completed 26 training simulators for customers like the Royal Dutch Navy, the Port of Rotterdam, Falck/Nutec, the Dutch Railways, and DriveZone. VSTEP's experience and core technology from these projects has been adapted to deliver a "true to their roots" simulator for the home PC user.

About Lighthouse Interactive

Lighthouse Interactive is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment with offices in The Netherlands and Canada. Lighthouse's upcoming titles include the critically acclaimed adventure title 'Keepsake', the fast paced mech shooter 'War World: Tactical Combat' and the highly anticipated 4x space strategy hybrid 'Sword of the Stars'. Staffed with industry veterans and with offices in key locations around the world, Lighthouse is a strong alternative for developers looking to bring their products to a worldwide audience.

For more info about Ship Simulator 2006 or Lighthouse Interactive, please visit www.lighthouse-interactive.com or send us an email via: pr@lighthouse-interactive.com