ith more than 200 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is as ruthlessly competitive as "Grand Theft Auto." So when Los Angeles-headquartered Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc. wanted to debut the latest titles in its video-game lineup, the company crafted an exhibit that recreated the games' fun - and their fear, too.

Designed by Freddie Georges Production Group Inc. of La Palma, CA, the 10,000-square-foot exhibit featured four game-related sections. Attendees entering the oval-shaped, 450-square-foot "Batman: Arkham Asylum" area passed through the forbidding 13-foot-tall rusted iron gates used in the "Batman Forever" movie. Here, on a morgue-like floor of bare concrete, visitors played on four gaming kiosks surrounded by barbed wire, a crumbling wall spray painted with "Welcome to the Mad House" in lime green, and a restraining gurney staffers strapped attendees into for a photo opportunity.
Once visitors escaped the grim atmosphere, they could flee into the nearby "F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin" segment. Modeled after the game's desolate children's playground with discarded shoes, crumpled soda cans, and chunks of smashed-in chain-link fence strewn about, the setting offered four stationary merry-go-rounds rigged with 40-inch plasma monitors and consoles to play the horror game.

The mood lightened in the forest-like terrain of "Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest." Here boulders and an 18-foot-tall tree of sculpted foam on a grassy knoll of real sod recreated the gentle setting of a mythical shire from the beloved movies. Last, in the 1,380-square-foot "Lego Rock Band" section, the company used high-gloss automotive paint to tint over-sized Lego bricks that formed three stages, where would-be rockers belted out tunes from the Spin Doctors to Spinal Tap. By bringing its entertainment's mayhem, mirth, and music to life, Warner Bros. showed the crowd and competitors it had serious game.e