EIDOS ANNOUNCES HERDY GERDY

Anticipated by the specialist media as one of 2002's most significant PS2 releases, Core Design is confident that the title breaks the mould with its inventive gameplay, humour and distinctive graphical style. Whilst the herding factor plays a key role, this forms only part of a marathon adventure that encompasses exploration, platform, strategy and puzzle elements.

These dynamics are integrated within a vibrant world that features a delicately balanced eco-system. Herdy Gerdy's environments are expansive and visually diverse, comprising over thirty 3D graphic sets. All textures and objects are hand-drawn to a unique cell-type style. Exceptionally high levels of animation also feature throughout the title's fauna and flora, reinforcing the concept of a living world.

One of the title's defining characteristics is the 'personality' that is applied to the creatures that roam its landscapes. Each set of animals has it's own characteristics which are applied not only on an individual basis but also to a group rationale. An understanding of these behaviour patterns must be gained in order to successfully control the animals, guide them through the landscapes and maintain general balance.

Characters comprise both predator and prey, of varying levels of intelligence. As such, interaction between animal groups must be carefully managed. A single distressed animal has the potential to create an unpredictable ripple of chaos that can result in disaster and in the worst case, fatality. The character responsible for completing the game's challenges is a young boy named Gerdy. As the opening scene unfolds, the player learns that Gerdy is about to embark on a rather unusual quest - he must avenge the island's evil Dictator who has been repeatedly winning the herding tournament, held every four years.

The tournament winner is traditionally entrusted with the Acorn of Power, an item that has magical properties and is required to maintain the island's natural balance. The Dictator has been misusing the Acorn, namely to ensure he perpetually wins the tournament and therefore keeps control of the island. Now the time has come for the tournament to be held again.

The island has pinned all its hopes on Gerdy's father - commonly acknowledged as the only person skillful enough to defeat the Dictator. However, on the morning of the tournament Gerdy discovers that somebody has cast a sleeping spell on his father. The responsibility now falls upon Gerdy's young shoulders to take his father's place, win the tournament and overthrow the Dictator.

Initially inexperienced and overconfident, Gerdy has much to learn before he reaches the tournament. He must explore landscapes, gather the tools of a herder's profession and complete numerous tasks and puzzles in order to increase his skills and gradually transform into a master herder.