Yesterday I criticised Vivendi for wasting the development budget of 'Scarface: The Exploitative GTA Clone is Yours' on a big Hollywood-produced titles sequence. Another example of videogame publishers trying to gain mainstream cache by buying in movie talent, I blustered. Then, a few minutes after posting, EA sent me a press release proclaiming that actress Hilary Duff would be 'starring' in Sims 2 Pets.

"Hilary is the perfect partner for The Sims 2 Pets - not only is she a huge animal lover, but she is also a Sims fan!" exclaimed Rod Humble, executive producer for The Sims Division of Electronic Arts. "Hilary was involved in every step of the process, from creating the Hilary and Lola characters to designing some of the tricks dogs can do in the game."

Is this the most random, impossible-to-predict piece of celebrity placement ever conceived?

Well, perhaps not, as Duff seems worryingly attached to her real-life pet, Lola, a two year old Blue Fawn Teacup Chihuahua - who also appears in the game. "We can't wait to hang at Central Town Park, play with other pups and shop around for the latest pet accessories! Check out her blog for updates on her videogame fandom at www.hilaryduff.com," squeals the star of Cheaper By The Dozen 2. What is it about young American celebrities and their tiny shivering canines?

In fact, what is it about dogs in games? After the mega-success of Nintendogs, the world has gone pet sim crazy. No less than three puppy games were released on mobile phone over the last few months - Dogz from Gameloft, My Little Dogs from Living Mobile and My Dog by i-Play. According to EA, when the publisher asked Sims fans what they most wanted to see in the game, a massive majority said pets. I wonder where facile celebrity endorsements were on the list?