Yes it is a kind of spin-off but it's an interesting and entertaining one which

Yes, it is a kind of spin-off, but it's an interesting and entertaining one which adds to the fun of the film." And now, of course, it is practically a prerequisite that every Hollywood film release coincides with a computer-game release.Certainly the developers of the Chicken Run Game, Blitz Games, are under no illusion as to the advantages of creating games from a name with such mass-market appeal. Philip Oliver, MD for Blitz Games, readily admits to concentrating on licensed games because the mass market is attracted to brand names: "If you take a licence and work within it, the likelihood is that you will clean up. We're not cynical money-grabbers, but it is thoroughly depressing when you create an original game and then no one notices you've even released it. Get a licence and you'll be guaranteed attention and sales; if you can do a decent job with the licence, people will become interested and your reputation will improve. You'll then be freer to do what you want and take more risks in the development."Aardman takes the line that a tie-in game release needn't necessarily be just a cynical ploy to exploit product and consumer. A computer game leaves fans able to interact with their favourite characters - in different ways - long after the film has slipped from memory The problem, though, lies in the quality of the games. The legion of recent tie-in games released have few, if any, redeeming qualities, although it is worth bearing in mind that Goldeneye - the game of the James Bond film - remains one of the most highly rated games of recent years.However, in Blitz's case, their no-nonsense philosophy paid off: Chicken Run is actually a very fine game (and, of course, has sold by the bucketful).

It manages to convey the wit and feelgood nature of the film, as well as ensuring that the characters look like the Plasticine models - another of Park's concerns: "We put life into the Plasticine characters as we mould them, and develop an intuitive sense of how the character moves and reacts."The challenge for developers has been to achieve that same weight and fluidity. Advances in technology mean it is now possible to recreate the desired effect."Park, rumoured to be extremely careful to retain artistic control over all his creations, was willing to give the developers at Blitz a relatively free hand with the game. As far as Park was concerned, if they were interested in the same values as Aardman, then they could go ahead."Much as we are doing with Plasticine, developers seem to be constantly pushing the boundaries of what you can do with a video game," he said, continuing: "Games are being written and put together with the same love and care that would go into a film, and we were perfectly happy to let them use their own creativity."You would think that a traditionally minded artist willing to spend six years in a studio creating one short film might dismiss computer graphics as inferior Not at all. Park says that he is impressed by Pixar's work on films such as Toy Story. Nor does he accept that computer-generated imagery (CGI) is at the opposite end of the creative spectrum from stop-motion animation."I don't see the methods as being opposite or mutually exclusive. We can't just blithely ignore what's happening in the world of digital and computer animation."Consequently, Aardman Animations and their old-fashioned craftsmanship now has its own in-house CGI department.Such a statement from a man dedicated to old-fashioned craftsmanship, and who admits to being "a bit of a technophobe", comes as something of a surprise; he's not the Luddite you might suspect after all. Park may retain a certain scepticism where hi-tech gizmology is concerned (he certainly isn't going to be binning the Plasticine in the foreseeable future), but he is also willing to concede that it does have its advantages and that, of course, there are people out there who know more about it than he does.But being something of a self-confessed control freak, Park isn't about to relinquish his handmade artistry to people who sit in front of screens all day long."I think there can and should be a marriage between the two different creative processes All our characters are handmade and will always be handmade.

Nevertheless, there is also a substantial amount of digital work involved in creating one of our films, and it can certainly make our life easier."Nick Park leaves you in no doubt that his films will always be labour-intensive and hands-on, and that every frame of film will be lovingly crafted: "Everything brings with it a blessing and a curse, and technology is no different."'Chicken Run', published by Eidos Interactive, is available for PlayStation, Dreamcast (both £39.99) and PCs (£29.99). When he steps on to the stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco tomorrow morning, Steve Jobs will no doubt expect to receive his usual enthusiastic welcome by the thousands of Mac users, who will have queued up for hours to hear him deliver the keynote speech at the Macworld show. Jobs is, after all, a hero in their eyes, the man who co-founded Apple Computer, was forced out and then returned to restore the company to profitability after years of what appeared to be terminal decline. When he steps on to the stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco tomorrow morning, Steve Jobs will no doubt expect to receive his usual enthusiastic welcome by the thousands of Mac users, who will have queued up for hours to hear him deliver the keynote speech at the Macworld show. Jobs is, after all, a hero in their eyes, the man who co-founded Apple Computer, was forced out and then returned to restore the company to profitability after years of what appeared to be terminal decline. However, the cheers could well be muted if only because many of the Mac faithful are likely to be holding their breath, hoping with all their hearts that "Steve" can work yet another miracle.