Mario Bros. meets Macbeth

What do a pixelated plumber and a murderous king have in common? Nintendo DS -- in England, anyway.

The collaboration between HarperCollins and Nintendo is currently available only in England, the Telegraph reports, but the gamemaker may expand the range of availability if it proves popular. For now, 100 classics, including works by Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Charlotte and Emily Brontë, will be available for about $26 (U.S.).

Sure, Nintendo DS has games like Metal Slug (action-packed combat missions with teen content), and first-person shooters like Call of Duty: World at War. But it also has crossword puzzles and brain teasers. The Telegraph notes:

Latest industry figures from Chart Track show that two million Nintendo DS machines, have been sold in Britain. The gadgets, which offer "brain training" games and cookery guides, as well as more typical games such as Mario Kart, have proved popular with both children and adults.

Americans aren't the only ones who will have to wait for their Nintendo-ready Dickens; the product will be available in England beginning Dec. 26.

-- Carolyn Kellogg 

Comments

[Rob]

That might work nicely if you could, say, tap a footnote number in one screen and have the corresponding note appear in the other... tiny screens, though.