Konami shows love for the kids

Konami Digital Entertainment America today solidified its fall lineup for younger gamers, anchored by the first game based on its latest license acquisition, the girls' TV show Winx Club. The rest of the lineup includes games based on Yu-Gi-Oh! and Konami's original mascot, Frogger.

Like the Saturday-morning TV show on Fox, the Winx Club game will follow the adventures of five fashion-savvy teenage girls who use their special powers to transform into magical fairies and save the universe. The game is currently under development for the PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, and PC.

Frogger gets a new 3D action adventure game with Frogger: Ancient Shadow for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube, all of which will include the original 1981 Frogger game as an unlockable bonus. Joining Frogger on this adventure will be Berry, a 14-year-old Amazon frog who performs as an acrobat in a traveling caravan.

Konami continues its support of the Nintendo DS with Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour, the first game of the series to hit the system. Players will use the system's touch screen to navigate a city map in search of dual opponents and will play specific cards once a duel starts. The top screen will be used to show animations of monsters rising from their cards to attack opponents. Nightmare Troubadour will also take advantage of the system's wireless connectivity to allow players to trade cards and battle nearby opponents.

Earlier, Konami announced that it would be releasing two more games aimed at younger audiences: Shaman King: Master of Spirits 2 for the GBA and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare.