Eidos signs deal for 'Millionaire' computer game

Eidos, the games developer of buxom gun-toting cybersleuth Lara Croft, is to branch out with a computer game based on the television quiz Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Due for release this autumn, the game will be available for PC, PlayStation and Dreamcast formats. Eidos will publish and market the game, which will be developed by privately-owned Hothouse Creations of Bristol.

Ian Livingstone, executive chairman of Eidos, said: "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is a TV phenomenon and has captured the nation's imagination. Eidos will be aiming to replicate the appeal and success of the show with the ultimate challenge in interactive gaming."

Show host Chris Tarrant will feature in audio and video clips, posing questions and giving answers. Mr Tarrant said: "Friends and families will now have the ability to play on their PCs and consoles."

The programme has attracted UK audiences of more than 19 million since starting in the autumn of 1998. In the US, the ABC network has ridden the programme's popularity to the number one ratings slot.

Negotiations with Celador, the show's producer, began last month. Analysts have urged Eidos to diversify with other games to bolster its position in the fast moving games market.

In recent months, Eidos stock has plunged 78 per cent amid worse-than-expected results and the tech sector sell-off. The company's share price eased a half penny yesterday to close at 283p, a 12-month low.