Digital Leisure to Bring 'Dragon's Lair' to Blu-ray

Indie developer Digital Leisure will bring the first interactive high-definition game to Blu-ray with the upcoming release of the classic 'Dragon's Lair.'

The landmark animated adventure was one of the big hits of the arcade boom of the early '80s. Combining hand-drawn 2-D animation from the Don Bluth Studios with laserdisc-based technology, 'Dragon's Lair' allowed gamers to pilot the heroic Dirk the Daring on a series of adventures using simple joystick commands.

Digital Leisure has since brought the classic to many different home platforms, including standard-def DVD and DVD-ROM for PCs. (You can find out more info about the various permutations of 'Dragon's Lair,' and other background on the game, at www.digitalleisure.com.)

The developer has not yet announced a date for Dirk's debut on Blu-ray, nor any specs, features or pricing info. However, they have sent out a series of flyers touting his imminent next-gen arrival, which is expected by summer 2007.

The company says they also plan to release a dedicated BD-ROM version of the title exclusively for the PlayStation 3. An HD DVD version of 'Dragon's Lair' was announced late last year, but so far has not yet been scheduled.

We'll certainly be looking forward to checking out the title with a full review, as the increased interactivity of Blu-ray should be far more seamless and enjoyable than the rather clunky standard-def DVD version.

We'll keep you posted on an official release date for 'Dragon's Lair' on Blu-ray as soon as it is confirmed. We've also added a preliminary listing for the game to our Blu-ray Release Schedule, under the "Release Dates Pending" section.