Episode 1: "First Day in Sweden", the pilot of the new episodic adventure game The Exchange Student, is now available for PCs, with Macintosh and Pocket PC versions to follow soon.

The Exchange Student is a comedy game (or interactive cartoon if you prefer) in the vein of the Johnny Bravo cartoon series that blends classic adventure gameplay into the casual game format, presumably making the pace of progress faster and simpler so that "gamers can practically be entertained even if they have little time to devote to gaming". The game features a simple point-and-click interface and requires a minimal learning curve, "making the game appropriate for both hardcore and casual gamers" while said to maintain a high level of interactivity throughout.

It was developed by Pan Metron Ariston, a team of developers and artists from all over the world, counting many "high-profile" names in their midst. Bill Eaken, the background artist, has worked on several adventure titles at Lucasarts and Sierra in the past, such as Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Leisure Suit Larry 3, The Dig, The Secret of Monkey Island and The Curse of Monkey Island. Dave Rigley, the character designer and animator, is the man behind the webcomic 24andahalf.com. John Bell, who is performing the role of the main character, has done voice over work for a number of games including Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, Rise of Nations, Star Wars: Rebel Assault and Star Wars: X-Wing, while Irene Tuomainen, the actress performing the role of the Swedish student Frida, was the dialect coach of Jennifer Garner for the TV show Alias, to name but a few.

The full version of the first episode costs 10 Euros (the equivalent of $12.8) and can be bought within the free trial version downloadable at the game's site. Episode 2: "The Point Game" will be released this October.