News from the virtual world:

Since 2004, the producers of ABC's "Lost" have been playing games with their devoted viewers. A video game was inevitable — and now, here comes Ubisoft's "Lost: Via Domus," due Feb. 26."They know games," "Via Domus" scriptwriter Kevin Shortt said of the TV show's brain trust. "You could tell they were excited.""Lost" staff writer Dawn Kelly collaborated on the game's script and worked with series co-creator Damon Lindelof on a creative ending to the project, Shortt said.So, what's really happening on the island?"They didn't give us the big answers," Shortt said, although players will be able to explore parts of the island that were only glimpsed on TV.For example, fans can finally find out what was behind that magnetic wall in the hatch in season two.The main character is a guy named Elliott whom Shortt described as "one of those other castaways you see wandering around the beach." Like everyone else on "Lost," Elliott has a tortured past, and his experience on the island could lead to redemption. During his journey, Elliott deals with most of the TV show's characters, as well as strange creatures like the Black Smoke.And everything is consistent with the TV show's elaborate mythology."We didn't want it to not count," Shortt said.

Another of the most hotly anticipated titles of the current console generation is Sony's "Gran Turismo 5."It's the first PlayStation 3 installment of the venerable auto racing franchise, and it looks as sweet as anything on the machine to date.However, it only has a tentative late 2008 release date. To tide fans over until then, Sony is releasing "Gran Turismo 5 Prologue" on April 17. It will feature 60 vehicles and a small selection of the final game's tracks. It also will allow up to 16 players to race against each other online.The catch: It will cost $40, which seems like a lot for an extended demo disc.

Touchstone revives dinosaur-hunting hero "Turok" (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3). If you'd rather slay demons, there's Capcom's "Devil May Cry 4" (360, PS3). Ubisoft's ancient killer goes portable in "Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles" (DS). An addictive card/board game returns in Namco Bandai's "Culdcept Saga" (360). The animals are on the loose, with Sierra's "The Spiderwick Chronicles" (Xbox 360, PS2, DS), Atari's "Downstream Panic!" (PSP) and "My Horse and Me" (Wii, DS), THQ's "Zoo Tycoon 2" and "Paws & Claws Pet Resort" (DS) and Ubisoft's "Puppy Palace" (DS).