FOR almost 70 years Britain's most popular comic has relied on the popularity of characters such as Dennis the Menace and Minnie the Minx to send children scuttling off to the newsagent.
Now the Beano is launching a bold bid to keep pace with the new generation of computer-fixated youngsters.
The Dundee-based comic is making the adventures of some of its most famous characters available to download on handheld games systems.
It means techno-savvy children will be able to follow the Bash Street Kids and others on the screens of their PlayStation Portables (PSPs).
Publishers DC Thomson also plan to release a series of interactive comic DVDS which allow readers to plot stories and choose endings.
On the Beano website, readers are given instructions on how to download their own "comic carry outs".
The experiment is being launched to feature old favourites the Bash Street Kids and new characters Mr Cheekychops and Sir Stinkalot, an unctuous overgrown schoolboy and his flatulent skunk companion.
Beano spokesman Dan McGachey said the changes were prompted by the demands of an increasingly computer-literate readership.
"We're keenly aware that there are always new developments and new platforms that are vying for our readers' attention, and we're also aware that we have to keep up with our readers' hobbies and interests if we don't want to be left behind," he said.
"We have to be willing to experiment with new technologies and new media that will keep the classic Beano characters alive outside the pages of the comic."
McGachey said a recently released interactive DVD entitled The Battle For Bash Street, which combined animated adventures with puzzles and games, was a format they were looking to expand .
"We'll continue to look at ways to keep The Beano humour flowing in the most up-to-date ways possible," he said.
