...And Nintendo throw a big "Puppy Party" to celebrate its launch! Bill Oddie and Myleene Klass were there, were you?

So today's the day Nintendogs - Nintendo's world-conquering puppy sim - lands in Europe. It's one of Nintendo's blockbuster titles for the DS this Christmas, and they really have been promoting extensively. Dog food and television sponsorships, an HMV launch today... it made sense they'd want to throw a party sometime!

To herald its arrival, Nintendo held a bash last night, and invited some dog-loving celebrities along. Animal lover Bill Oddie, and for some reason singer Myleene Klass, presenter Jeremy Edwards and "close friend" of David Beckham Rebecca Loos all made appearances, as well as Betty from Eastenders and Coronation Street's very own Schmeichel.

I wasn't invited myself, but apparently there were "dogs-eye" video feeds, a VIP (very important pooch) chill-out area, a doggy Olympics and a doggy disco to round off the get-together with some "barking good tunes"...

If anyone is unaware of the canine phenomenon by now, Nintendogs allows you to touch and talk to your dogs on-screen. It comes in three different versions � Labrador Retriever, Miniature Dachshund and Chihuahua - each with six different breeds of puppies to begin with, giving a total of eighteen breeds to choose from.

First off, the Japanese went barking mad for the game � so much so that sales of the Nintendo DS console have rocketed to five times the average amount during the nintendogs launch week. Then it launched in the US, where the game racked up 250,000 sales in its first week � making it the fastest selling new franchise ever.

So, can Nintendo repeat the game's success in Europe? We'll keep you posted. And if you haven't already imported a copy of the game, it's out now!