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Beam announces shipment of latest Cricket title

Beam International Limited, Australia's leading interactive entertainment publishing company, announced the shipment of CRICKET '97 'Ashes Tour Edition' for the PC CD-ROM market. The title will be distributed through Electronic Arts primarily in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa and India.
The title was developed by Beam Software and published under the Beam Group's publishing imprint, Melbourne House. The Ashes Tour Edition has been built on the strengths of its sophisticated predecessor, CRICKET 97, and fans of the title will be pleased to discover that it is now an official Australian Cricket Board (ACB) & English Cricket Board (ECB) licensed title. It features actual photographs, player names and statistics of the official Australian and English Ashes teams.
"This is a title that is a must-have for all fans of Cricket," commented Mr. James Halprin, producer of CRICKET 97 ATE. "We've taken an already popular game, and improved it in almost every aspect, being very much guided by the things our audience have said."
As they enter the game, players can select everything from the type of game (fast match, one day, test and world challenge) they wish to play, right through to the team (pre-existing or custom created), player line-up and weather / pitch conditions. And with video and commentary from Richie Benaud, players will have the face and voice of International cricket taking them right through each and every game.
In addition to the TV style presentation that features instant replays and an exciting range of camera angles, the ATE version offers the ability to play with and against a custom team, either on a single computer or on multiple computers joined through a network or modems.
"With the inclusion of the official Ashes teams, it was more important than ever to ensure that the game relied and reacted accordingly to the player's statistics. It just wouldn't be cricket if Shane Warne wasn't more likely to take out wickets than some of the lesser skilled bowlers", continued James Halprin.
Adam Lancman, Beam International's Managing Director, said: "Getting official licensing from the ACB and ECB was a great coup : this is what every fan really wants from a sports game - to be able to simulate matches with their favourite players. We are confident that this game will repeat the success of Cricket 97 and be a best-seller in all countries where cricket is played."
The Ashes Tour Edition has already been nominated in two categories at the Australian ATOM Multimedia Awards including 'Best Game' and 'Best Use Of Graphics'. The game has also scored an 87% rating in the October edition of PC PowerPlay.
Beam International Limited is the holding company for the Beam Group. It is Australia's only multimedia development company traded on the Australian Stock Exchange (and trades under the symbol BEM). More information about Beam International Ltd can be found on the Internet at http://www.beam.com.au.
For further information, please contact Ms. Kirsten Beamish on
Tel: +61 (03) 9866 8300 ext: 202,
Fax: +61 (03) 9866 8674
or by e-mail to kirstenb@beam.com.au
Press release:- Monday October 13, 1997