Ocean and Europress go a bundle on Rally title

Ocean's plan to boost Q4 sales with a big name software compilation is under pressure from a Europress bundle launched to grab Ocean's business.

Both packs feature Europress' top-selling title Rally Championship and the publisher is furious the game features in a bundle so soon after its release.

Ocean licensed its Extreme Power Pack from US firm Extreme for the European market. Europress licensed its title to Extreme expecting it to stay in the US, then tried to offer compensation to Ocean/Extreme to halt its appearance in Europe. Ocean's marketing director Simon Alty said: "If we could've we would've but Extreme said go away (to Europress)."

As a result, Europress has responded with its u44.99 Total Insanity pack which includes Rally, Microprose's Star Trek TNG: A Final Unity, and EA's PGA European Tour. Ocean's offer has Fifa 96, Magic Carpet 2 and a joypad with a trade price of u26.50, which is also expected to retail at u44.99.

Comet and WH Smith will stock both packs. Woolworths will just carry the Euro-press bundle.

Ocean has guaranteed 40,000 sales of the bundle in Europe and expects it to make up for disappointing sales of Tunnel B1 and slippage of two major releases to next year.