The first round of titles from Sega's Mega Drive library are available now on the Wii Shop Channel for download and play on the Wii Virtual Console. Prices to download the titles will start at 800 Wii Points.

Spanning all the popular genres, the titles currently available are Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Columns, Ecco the Dolphin, Gunstar Heroes, Space Harrier II, Toe Jam & Earl, Ristar and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

"Nintendo has offered a great gateway to bring classic Sega titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast and Toe Jam & Earl to Wii console owners," says Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, Sega of America, Inc. "This is only the beginning, though, as you can expect to see more announcements regarding other Sega classic titles coming to the Wii Shop Channel in the coming months."

The Wii Shop Channel serves as the Wii's online storefront, where visitors can redeem Wii Points to download games and other items. Users need a high-speed Internet connection to access the Wii Shop Channel. More Virtual Console games will come available every Monday following launch and by year-end. Users buy Wii Points at retail or with a credit card online from the Wii Shop Channel and redeem their Wii Points to download the classic games.

For more information on upcoming Virtual Console titles from Sega, visit sega.com.