Codemasters are working alongside Templar Publishing to bring a number of titles based on their Ology series of books.

The deal will see Templar Publishing's best sellers Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology, each an 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.

"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.