First there was a DS game of the film, and now it appears the DS will appear in the film itself. Is there nothing this handheld can't do?

You'd think not, judging by the DS' role in the upcoming motion picture. Marking the DS' first role in the world of films, Nintendo has signed an agreement with the film's producers to turn the DS into the ultimate spy gadget for Alex Rider: Stormbreaker. The film is based on the first in the popular Alex Rider series of books by Anthony Horowitz, which have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

Recruited to MI6 after the murder of his uncle and guardian, the reluctant 14-year-old Alex Rider is trained to continue his uncle's secret mission. And like any good spy, he receives his key piece of gadgetry: a Hot Rod Red Nintendo DS, along with game cards that transform his console into an eavesdropping device, a wiretap detector or a smoke bomb.

"Along with writer Anthony Horowitz, we asked ourselves how the Secret Service would get secret tools into the hands of a 14-year-old spy," says Peter Samuelson, who, with his brother Marc, produced the film. "Nintendo DS is the perfect fit: Alex's spyware hides in plain sight. Audiences will be thrilled to see how it helps Alex get out of a host of heart-pounding predicaments."

"The agreement is a perfect marriage of two hot entertainment properties," commented George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "And while the Nintendo DS is one of the most versatile gaming systems available, we unfortunately have no plans to make any DS spy-related functions available to the general public." Shame.

Stormbreaker is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on July 21st and over the pond in the USA on October 6th, with Alex Pettyfer as Alex Rider, and a host of well known stars - Sarah Bolger, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Damian Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, Sophie Okonedo, Missi Pyle, Andy Serkis, Alicia Silverstone, Ashley Walters and Mickey Rourke.