Electronic Arts have announced that they have shipped more than a million copies of Sim City 3000 worldwide. "We're extremely pleased with Sim City 3000's sales and the reaction from our customers," said Larry Probst, EA's chairman and chief executive officer. "With the addition of the upcoming Macintosh version and continued online support, we believe the game will enjoy an extremely long shelf life". The game's developer, Maxis, estimate that approximately half of the Sim City 3000 owners have downloaded at least one free add-on from the official website

A five-year-old boy in the southwestern Alaskan village of Kotlik has shot and killed his seven-year-old brother, after the two argued over the use of their Nintendo console. This tragic incident will no doubt re-open the old 'violence in videogames' argument. Surely there's more of a case here for addressing the 'guns in the home' issue? After all, the same thing might have happened if the children were arguing over what they wanted to watch on TV. No charges have been filed against the boy at this time.

SouthPeak Interactive will publish Scooby-Doo: The Mystery of the Fun Park Phantom on the PC later this year. Combining 'the richness and exploration of an adventure game' with 'the strategy and endless replayability of a traditional board game', the game places you in sticky and sometimes humorous situations. An average game will last between 15 and 25 minutes and should invoke 'the nostalgic feel of the cartoon series'. Why do we get the feeling that in reality the average game will probably last no longer than one minute?

Microsoft have announced their latest acquisition - Canadian developer ShadowFactor Software. ShadowFactor specialise in software that enables online gamers to talk to each other, rather than having to type lengthy messages - a serious pain during a frantic Quake3Test session. The BattleCom technology will form a part of Microsoft's DirectX 8.0, which is due to ship late next year.

Sony have developed a brand new laser device for their next-generation console. In the past, separate laser pickups have been required in order to play DVDs and CDs, but the new pickup produces lasers in both wavelengths. This technology should help to reduce the number of components in the new console, thus improving the reliability.

New info has surfaced regarding the Street Fighter EX2 Plus arcade game, scheduled for release this summer. The title will feature two brand new characters - 'Area' and 'Vulcano Rosso'. Area is the daughter of an inventor and equips herself with some of his special weapons, including the rather tasteless 'cancer launcher' which is bolted onto her left arm. Vulcano Rosso is hell-bent on avenging the death of his lover and has turned his sorrow into pure aggression - one of his more violent moves involves stamping on an enemy's head three times. Which is nice.

Police in China have closed around 300 cafes in Shanghai for offering Internet access without the required licence. Other cafés were fined for allowing under-age children to play computer games. It is believed that this action is part of the Chinese authorities' efforts to prevent 10th anniversary celebrations of the Tiananmen Square protests. And it's not only the café owners who are at risk - users are required to register before accessing the Internet. How long will it be before they start rolling in the tanks? Get yourself over to The Global Petition Campaign Online" and see what all the fuss is about.