Online goals
Sky Sports is to put its weight behind a new multiplayer online football management game, to be launched in August. Your goal is to become Sky Sports Football Manager of the Year. The game, which combines a PC with a website, has been produced by Fergus McGovern's HotGen Studios and THQ International Ltd. The two companies have formed a joint venture, Network Interactive Sports Ltd.

Users will have to pay a subscription to play Sky Sports Football Manager. However, those who preregister at the website at www.nisports.com/prereg will be able to playtest the game free.

PS2 shaved
Japanese PS2 buyers are being tempted with a cheaper console - and PlayStation toys with their McDonald's Happy Meals. Sony has sliced almost 5,000 yen off the PS2, reducing the price to 35,000 yen (£199). Sony's games division lost 51 billion yen (£290 million) in the year to March as it invested in PS2 sales and production.

Meanwhile in McDonald's joints in Japan, fans can get figures from a PlayStation-themed Happy Set. These include a monkey from Ape Escape, Parappa the Rapper, and Chocobo from Final Fantasy. The biggest is Toro the cat from Dokodemo Issho (Together Anywhere). Toro, who resembles Hong Kong's Hello Kitty, is the PlayStation's mascot in Japan.

LAN ahoy
The UK's first national LAN tour will start on July 27, taking local area network gaming to Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester and London. PC gamers will be able to compete for regional and national titles using competition equipment, or bring their own PCs to join the LAN party. Virgin Interactive is using the tour to launch a new first person shooter, Codename Outbreak. See www.uk-lan-tour.co.uk. For news of other LAN parties world wide, go to www.lanparty.com

GT3
Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec has sold more than a million units in Japan, and looks like becoming the biggest-selling PlayStation 2 game of the year. The US launch is expected on July 10, and while a UK date is not confirmed, July 20 has been mentioned.