Dunedin start-up computer game company Areo has won an international award with the first episode of its new Casebook crime title.
Staff and users of the Adventuregamers.com website - the largest adventure gaming site on the internet - voted Casebook Episode I: Kidnapped the Best Independent Adventure Game of 2008.
The website, which attracts more than 120,000 unique hits each month, inaugurated its own "Aggies" awards this year to take part in the United States awards season.
The website's citation praised Areo's Casebook as a "courageous" and "compelling" first effort, particularly for its use of innovative camera technology to create 3D gaming environments from thousands of photographs.
Areo chief executive Luke Reid, of Dunedin, said the award represented major recognition for the first episode of the Dunedin company's six-part Casebook series.
"An award like this counts for a lot with our audience. It's incredible recognition for our first effort. A lot of games companies never get this kind of attention, so to get it on our first go-round is amazing."
The first episode was released by Clocktower Games Ltd before the company merged with an associated research and development company Areograph Ltd, now branded Areo.
Areo has released a second episode, The Watcher, and is part-way through production of a third episode.
