Dungeons, dragons and magic

It's a world where a man's strength is measured by the swing of his sword, where damsels must be rescued, castles stormed and evil forces confronted and destroyed.

Now the legions of fans hooked on the role-playing game Dungeons And Dragons will be able to see their fantasy adventures come to life in glorious technicolour in a new Hollywood blockbuster.

The £22 million film, Dungeons And Dragons: The Movie, stars British actors Jeremy Irons and the Rocky Horror Show's Richard O'Brien.

Thora Birch, who played Kevin Spacey's wilful adolescent daughter in American Beauty, is taking one of the female leads in the film, which will open at cinemas in this country in October.

The new release will be taking on another game-turned-movie, Tomb Raider, which is currently filming in London with Angelina Jolie in the lead role as sex symbol cyberbabe Lara Croft.

Word of the Dungeons And Dragons project recently emerged when New Line Cinema announced it had paid in excess of £3 million for North American distribution rights to the film.

Two more films based on the video game version of the fantasy are being considered, a prequel and a sequel to the forthcoming movie.

"For millions of people worldwide, Dungeons And Dragons has been the ultimate fantasy game for more than 25 years," said Mark Ordesky, president of Fine Line Features and head of acquisitions for New Line. "This film will deliver for die-hard fans as well as those who have never been exposed to this epic world of magic, sorcery and adventure."

He hopes the game will appeal across the generations, with adults remembering the board game and youngsters knowing the adventures through the video arcade version.

Dungeons And Dragons is one of the best-known fantasy titles in existence. The game has generated more than a billion dollars in sales worldwide, which includes publication of more than 400 books based on the game and an array of licensed products.