Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Relentless Software today unveiled a new addition to the popular Buzz! PlayStation 2 series designed specifically for the schools market.

Buzz!: The Schools Quiz combines the BAFTA award-winning quiz format and playability of previous Buzz! titles with national curriculum content to create a game specifically tailored for educational use in primary schools.
Developed by Relentless Software in partnership with the UK Department for Education and Skills, Buzz!: The Schools Quiz will feature over 5,000 unique questions based directly on all areas of the Key Stage 2 Curriculum, covering subjects from ancient Egypt to weather.

David Amor, Creative Director and co-founder of Relentless, says, "We're incredibly excited about this project. Using the buzzers and the quiz format means the game is instantly accessible – and works on the basis that kids learn more when they're having fun. Learning games like this will, we hope, give teachers an extra tool in the classroom."

Buzz!: The Schools Quiz also introduces 'Teacher Features' - designed in response to teacher feedback and evaluation to give control and flexibility when using the game as a teaching tool:

    * Create a Quiz based on any one subject area - ideal for revision or refreshing information already learnt
    * Pause, Skip or End any quiz as it is happening - giving the teacher full control of how the game progresses
    * A variety of game modes allow different classroom events to be catered for - Team Play encourages cooperation, while Fastest Finger provides a quick quiz

A preliminary version of Buzz!: The Schools Quiz is being shown in London this week before being extensively trialed in schools before release.

"Buzz has proven itself a hugely successful family home entertainment franchise for over 750,000 UK PlayStation owners," says Ray Maguire, managing director for Sony Computer Entertainment UK. "Taking this proven format into the educational sector with brand new curriculum-relevant content created by teachers seems a potent new addition to the teacher's portfolio."