Further recent additions to the expanding studio include Mark Pitcher, Damian Stones and Alex Trowers.

Mark Pitcher, 26, had various jobs before his big break came, when a friend recommended him to a local games company. At the tender age of 19, he was flown to America to work as an artist for Iguana Entertainment based in Austin, Texas.

Having worked on several titles for the Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo, Mark left to join Ocean, based in California. After completing work on several licensed titles, including Lobo and Mission Impossible for the N64, he began to think about coming back to England.

He returned after two years in the US and joined Bullfrog, working on the game Genewars. His other credits include Theme Hospital (PlayStation) and Populous: The Beginning and Populous: Undiscovered Worlds. As one of the original six members of Populous: The Beginning, his sprite work was a major contribution to the overall look and feel of the game.

Damian Stones, 26, joins Lost Toys after a 10-year career in the games industry. Having started in the business at Audio Visual Magic in the north of England, Stones began his coding career on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, moving from machine to machine as interactive entertainment evolved. Since 1989, he's worked on a variety of high-profile titles and software conversions, including Warcraft II (Saturn and PlayStation), FIFA '98: Road To World Cup (Saturn), Asteroids (Game Boy Color) and Battlezone (N64).

Alex Trowers, 25, born and bred in Guildford (claim to fame: The Stranglers rehearsed in his family's basement), rejoins his old colleagues after nine years at Bullfrog. Boasting project involvement across a wide range of titles, Trowers has contributed to the level design in Power Monger, Syndicate and American Revolt, Magic Carpet, Dungeon Keeper 2 and Gene Wars, plus the tracks for futuristic racer Hi-Octane. During his stay at Bullfrog, he's also been involved with the development of Magic Carpet 2, Syndicate Wars, Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper and Populous: The Beginning. When not at his keyboard, Alex will most likely be found behind the wheel of a speeding go-kart.

Lost Toys are working on their first, as yet unannounced, game for the PlayStation and PC - keep your eyes on Future Gamer for more details.

For more info on Lost Toys, check out their website.