Friday, 12 December, the latest issue of Nintendo Official Magazine UK (NOM UK) will be available bundled with a FREE playable demo disc.

Readers who buy their copy from GAME stores will receive a three-level playable demo of Sega's Billy Hatcher & the Giant Egg (with single and multiplayer options), an official inflatable Nintendo toy (Bullet Bill, Bowser or Ganondorf), PLUS a free pack of Pokémon STAKS (collectible character magnets).

The January issue's main feature is an exclusive preview of Pokémon Colosseum, plus there are previews of Prince of Persia, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mario Golf, Pac-Man Vs. and F-Zero 2 on Game Boy Advance. Reviews include Mario & Luigi, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, True Crime: Streets of LA, Mario Party 5 and Quidditch World Cup.

Finally, in keeping with the Christmas spirit, NOM UK has partnered with Electronic Arts to give away a widescreen TV and DVD player package as well as loads of EA games, all worth �2000.

Cube-Europe rang the friendly folks over at NOM for a short Q&A regarding this sudden turn-around of bundling a playable demo disc with the magazine.

C-E: What caused NOM to finally decide to include a demo disc with the magazine? Buyers of the magazine have been demanding it for months.

As Nintendo fans ourselves, we've wanted playable demos in the magazine for years now. Over this time, we have been lobbying Nintendo on behalf of the readers and establishing the best way to do it without applying unreasonable cover price increases.

This initiative has been possible because we have worked very closely with the right partners. By selecting the UK's No1 gaming retailer in GAME and a dynamic publisher like SEGA we've ensured we can deliver extra value to real Nintendo fans while still making the promotion commercially worthwhile for all parties.

C-E: Is this a one-time-only initiative or will we see a demo disc with all the upcoming NOM issues from now on?

NOM UK is committed to giving value for money to our readers, and we can guarantee that items bundled with the magazine will always be desireable and valuable. For example, our February issue comes with a free, highly collectible Super Smash Bros. Melee music CD, which until now has only been available in Japan. And don't forget that every copy of the latest issue includes a choice of collectible Nintendo character inflatables, such as Bullet Bill, and a pack of Pokemon STAKS character magnets.

Demo discs, of course, will always feature highly as our readers' most-wanted cover mount - just watch this space!

C-E: Billy Hatcher has been released in the UK for quite a while now. Why was it decided to include that particular game with the magazine?

Billy Hatcher & the Giant Egg scored 82% in NOM UK issue 135 so it fits our criteria for being a top quality gift. With three playable levels and single or multiplayer options, it gives Nintendo fans a really good flavour of this highly innovative title and we're sure it will be very popular.

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