Barbie: Princess and the Pauper Ships

For the First Time Ever Play With Barbie(TM) as Two Characters in Barbie(TM) as the Princess and the Pauper CD-ROM! Newly Released Creative Adventure Title Ships to Retail Stores Nationwide LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time ever girls will play with Barbie(TM) as two characters, Barbie(TM) as Erika(TM) and Princess Anneliese(TM), in Barbie(TM) as the Princess and the Pauper CD-ROM, which is now available in retail stores nationwide from Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) for girls ages 5 and up. The creative adventure title is a part of Mattel's entertainment initiative with a national television premiere and a VHS/DVD release this Fall. Erika(TM), with the help of Princess Anneliese(TM), must prove that she is worthy to be crowned queen. Girls can assist Erika(TM) in her journey through the kingdom in search of items to fulfill this quest by proving she is fair, just, thoughtful and loving. She helps villagers, solves puzzles and completes creative tasks such as: designing colorful banners, baking and decorating delicious cakes, and even decorating the castle in preparation for the most magnificent coronation ceremony in the history of the royal kingdom. Barbie(TM) as Erika(TM), with the aid of Princess Anneliese(TM), cannot complete the missions in this fun-filled adventure alone. Girls must help Erika(TM) move through the game's immersive environments and unique settings -- the village, castle and forest -- so that she is fully prepared for the coronation ceremony and her role as queen. Key product features include: * Experience a whole new adventure with Barbie(TM) as both Erika(TM) and Princess Anneliese(TM). * Discover the village, forest and castle on a journey through the royal kingdom in search of items to fulfill the quest. * Play fun games and solve puzzles to complete each royal task. Gather apples in the orchard, spin wool for fabric, find the kitten in the castle and more. * Play five creative activities as you help Erika(TM) become queen: * Design colorful banners * Bake and decorate delicious cakes * Create beautiful stained glass * Plant a spectacular flower garden * Groom and bathe your own kitten * Decorate each area of the castle to prepare for the ceremony. Add stained glass windows and banners for the perfect touch. * Collect flags, flowers and more along the way for extra fun with creative activities. Availability and Pricing Barbie(TM) Princess and the Pauper CD-ROM is currently available on Windows® format for a suggested retail price of $29.99. For sales and ordering information, customers can call (800) 545-7677 or visit www.vugames.com. System Requirements: Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP: Pentium® II (or equivalent) 350MHz or faster; 24x speed CD-ROM drive; 64 MB RAM (128 MB RAM for Windows® XP); 16-bit color; 800X600 screen resolution; Windows® compatible sound card; QuickTime® 6.5 Macintosh® Workstation: PowerMac® G3 300MHz or faster; OS 9.2.1, 10.1.5, 10.2.3; 64MB RAM (128MB RAM for OS 10.1 and up); 24x speed CD-ROM drive; Thousands of colors; 800x600 resolution; QuickTime® 6.5 About Mattel Mattel, Inc., (NYSE: MAT, www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products, including Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever created. Leading the toy and game market, the Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Hot Wheels®, Matchbox®, American Girl®, Tyco® R/C and Scrabble®, as well as Fisher-Price® brands (www.fisherprice.com), including Little People®, Rescue Heroes(TM), Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than 27,000 people in 36 countries and sells products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. The Mattel vision is to be the world's premier toy brands -- today and tomorrow. About Vivendi Universal Games Headquartered in Los Angeles, VU Games is a leading global developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment. Its development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Fox Interactive and Massive Entertainment. VU Games' library of over 700 titles features multi-million unit selling properties such as Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo from Blizzard; Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, Ground Control, Tribes and Leisure Suit Larry. BARBIE and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under license from, Mattel, Inc. (C) 2004 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.