Codemasters and Templar Publishing to bring 14 million-selling 'Ology book series to Wii and Nintendo DS

Three book deal will see Dragonology, Wizardology, and Pirateology come to life as video games for the Wii and Nintendo DS.

Codemasters, a leading creator and publisher of critically acclaimed video games, and The Templar Company PLC, the parent company of Templar Publishing, today announced a worldwide licensing agreement that will see the creation of a series of original video game titles based on Templar's 14 million-selling 'Ology series of books.

The deal will see Templar Publishing's best sellers Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology, each a fascinating and entertaining encyclopaedic journal packed with multi-textured content and paper-engineered extras, realised as individual video game titles exclusively for the Wii and Nintendo DS.

Codemasters will publish two editions of each title, one for Wii, with play centred on action gaming, and the other for the Nintendo DS, which will embrace explorative gameplay in the form of an interactive book. Dragonology will be the first title in the series and is expected to launch in the second half of 2008.

"Extending Codemasters' reach in the family entertainment category, this alliance with Templar further demonstrates the continued growth and diversification of our portfolio," said Barry Jafrato, Senior Vice President of Brand, Codemasters.

"With each title based on a popular fantasy theme and delivering a truly content-rich read, Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology are major entertainment properties that form a perfect base on which to build original and creative gaming experiences."

"The Ology book brand is a powerful contemporary franchise and we always seek to work with high calibre creative partners," commented Richard Scrivener, Commercial and Operations Director, Templar Publishing.

"Right from the outset, we were impressed by the combination of Codemasters' passion for the product and their global reach."

Dragonology: the Complete book of Dragons, by Dugald A Steer, was first published in 2003, creating a series which has sold over 5.7 million copies worldwide in 32 different languages. In the U.S., where the series is published by Candlewick Press, Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology have all been New York Times bestsellers and the 'Ology series was recently noted in the Wall Street Journal as 'a major publishing phenomenon'. For more information on the 'Ology series, please visit www.ologyworld.com