Pamela takes on Lara

Anderson is being made into a computer-generated Vallery Irons

Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson Lee is looking to computer game stardom as she relaunches herself as a cyberbabe.

The actress's new role is as the heroine of an action-packed computer adventure called VIP - based on her hit US TV show of the same name.

VIP, the game, is being developed by the French software firm Kalisto.

They hope the computer-generated image of the curvaceous 32-year-old blonde star will prove a worthy rival for Lara Croft - star of the Tomb Raider adventures and the undisputed queen of the video game.

Lara Croft could be in for tough competition

A spokesman for Kalisto said: "In her film Barb Wire, Pamela played a character who did not like to be called `babe' - in this venture she is most definitely a babe, a cyberbabe."

Players of VIP will see Anderson in 3D high-powered action as her TV character, bodyguard Vallery Irons, protecting some of America's biggest celebrities.

Each of her missions on the small screen gives players the chance to direct her actions and fend off enemies using a wide range of complex weapons.

Cyberbabe challenge

The VIP show, for which Anderson is both star and executive producer, began on US TV in 1998 and is currently showing in 60 countries.

The second series, which began in the US at the end of September, is due to be shown in the UK later this year.

The programme features Anderson as one of three female agents at an elite bodyguard agency amid the glamour and fast-paced life of Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.

Anderson as her bodyguard TV character

The game of the series is being produced for Dreamcast, PlayStation and PC CD-Rom.

Its makers are hoping that Anderson the cyberbabe will enjoy even more success than Lara Croft. But such a mission may prove a tall order, even for Vallery Irons.

Lara first stole the hearts of computer game enthusiasts worldwide in 1996 and is now into her fourth Tomb Raider adventure, made by Eidos.

She has become so well known around the globe that her face has appeared on the covers of successful magazines and in advertising campaigns for products totally divorced from the IT world.

And Lara's attraction is more than just skin deep as her fans look forward to each fresh Tombraider game for the challenge of its increasing complexity.