Colin McRae revs up Mastertronic's Gamer Presents… September collection

Mastertronic |

Mastertronic today confirms the four titles making up its September collection of PC Gamer Presents... titles, which will mark the budget debut of Codemasters' highly regarded Colin McRae Rally 3, a landmark rallying title for PC.

Due for release on September 24th, Colin McRae Rally 3 leads an impressive quartet of PC titles, each adhering to the label's quality policy of only releasing games that were awarded over 80% in the respected PC games publication. The eternally popular Championship Manager 4 also forms part of the line-up, as does its Eidos stablemate Republic, a clever strategy title, and Ravenshield; UbiSoft's stunning interpretation of the Tom Clancy novel.

Each of September's four releases has been deliberately selected to reflect the variety and quality of the PC Gamer Presents... range. Colin McRae Rally 3 is a stunning simulation of rally driving, with licensed cars and courses realised in stunning detail as the player attempts to emulate the past successes with Colin McRae in the game's many modes. Its incredible realism and playability saw Colin McRae Rally 3 score 89% in PC Gamer.

Championship Manager 4 is a massively revamped version of Eidos/Sports' Interactive's legendary football management epic. Featuring a vast array of clubs, the player oversees every aspect of a turbulent season, balancing injuries and tactics, low morale with against-all-odds cup wins, as the highs and lows of the domestic season unfold in this engrossing simulation. Boasting a level of depth unmatched by any of its peers, Championship Manager 4 joins the label on the back of 89% review score.

Republic is a strategy title set after the fictional fall of Russia. Players vie for control of the troubled country, using whatever it takes to seize control and win over the people. Players can opt for religious, criminal or honest means to seize power, with riots, unrest and disturbances all testing the user's skills as they climb the greasy pole. Republic was previously released through Eidos, and was awarded 80% by PC Gamer.

Finally, September's quartet of titles is rounded off in style with Ravenshield - one of the best interpretations of a Tom Clancy novel to date. Players guide a crack military unit into a series of combat zones, all of which are brought to life via some of the best graphics seen in a first-person title. Stealth and assault tactics will be called into play as the player tackles a series of tough hostage, retrieval and seek and destroy missions. Ravenshield scored 86% in PC Gamer.

"These four titles make for a fantastic September line-up for the PC Gamer Presents... range," comments Andy Payne, Managing Director, Mastertronic. "We have taken the best titles from four very different genres, and the result is a collection of the best racing, action, strategy and simulation games available. Consumers know where they are with the PC Gamer Presents... range, as we constantly deliver the best games on budget first - and these four titles sum up everything we are about. And we are committed to bringing even more titles to market in the coming months."

About Mastertronic

Headed up by Frank Herman, Andy Payne and Adam Prichard, Mastertronic is part of The Mastertronic Group Limited re-formed in 2003.

Mastertronic will seek to engender the values of its enviable heritage and become the leading value re-publisher of computer and video games working with publishers, retailers and consumers alike to continually innovate at all stages in the publishing value chain. Focus will be only on bringing the highest quality games to a mass market, delivered within a brand strategy that everyone can trust.

Originally formed in 1983, Mastertronic bought many a legendary 8 bit game to a true mass market (One Man and his Droid, Hunter Patrol, Spellbound, Phantoms of the Asteroid and Master of Magic to name a few). Mastertronic also brought the Sega Master System into Europe in the mid- 80's. The name Mastertronic all but disappeared from the industry in 1991 when it was acquired by Sega.