Title: Pokemon Trading Card Game Awarded National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval

Source: Business Wire, 9/15/99

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Pokemon Trading Card Game Awarded National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval

RENTON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1999--The Pokemon(TM) trading card game, a favorite with kids across North America, is soon to become a favorite with parents as well, with the National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval award.

The National Parenting Center's testing division, which is run by independent testers including parents, educators and panels of the National Parenting Center, has determined that the Pokemon trading card game two-player Starter Set "is of superb design and quality." As stated in their Product Testing Report, "Pokemon (Trading Card Game) is a compelling game that involves strategy, creative thinking and a dash of luck. We haven't seen young boys in particular, so excited about a game of this nature in a long time."

The Pokemon trading card game is available in booster packs

($3.29), two-player Starter Sets ($9.99) and preconstructed theme decks ($9.99). The first expansion for the trading card game, the Jungle(TM) card set, was released in June 1999. The second expansion, the Fossil(TM) card set, will be released in October.

Since the Pokemon trading card game's debut in January 1999, over 2 million copies of the game have been sold in North America. The goal of the trading card game is to collect, trade, train and battle various monsters in an effort to become the world's greatest Pokemon trainer. The trading card game is the latest addition to the Pokemon phenomenon that includes Game Boy(R) cartridge games, the number-one rated children's television program, comic books and an assortment of toys.

Wizards of the Coast Inc., the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, is a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products as well as the owner and operator of one of the nation's largest specialty game retail chains. The company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanic of trading card games and produces the world's best-selling Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering(R) trading card games. Publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons(R) games, family card and board games and electronic media products, Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world's leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers. The company's retail locations, many of which provide game-play areas, include a growing chain of Wizards of the Coast(R) specialty game retail stores as well as 53 The Game Keeper(R) stores. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website and electronic retail store at <www.wizards.com>.

(c)1995, 1996 and 1998 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK. Pokemon, Jungle and Fossil are trademarks of Nintendo.

WIZARDS OF THE COAST, THE GAME KEEPER and Magic: The Gathering are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. Dungeons & Dragons is a registered trademark of TSR Inc. TSR Inc. is a subsidiary of Wizards.

(c)1999 Wizards.