Girls Gone Wild & Crazy:

Female fighters take center stage in Gurumin, Izuna & Kim Possible

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 41 percent of video-game players are female. But consider your typical game hero: a gun-toting, muscle-bound lunk with all the personality of a side of beef. Where are the heroines?

There have been a few: Lara Croft in "Tomb Raider," Samus Aran in "Metroid," Jade in "Beyond Good & Evil." A handful of games - "Knights of the Old Republic" and "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" come to mind - let you choose your character's gender. But most of the women in video games serve merely as eye candy for the presumed audience of adolescent boys.

Younger heroines are even harder to find. Yes, there are familiar characters like Barbie and Nancy Drew who have their own computer-game franchises. But why isn't there a Super Mario Sister?

Let's look at a few potential role models for the girl gamer in your family.

LEARN MORE - By The Associated Press
Copyright The Associated Press 2006. All Rights Reserved
PHOTO: (c) 2005, Walt Disney. All Rights Reserved.