Prizes Monster Rancher 3 and Pandora's Disc Prizes courtesy of: Tecmo

   Summer may be almost over in North America, but monster breeding season is just about to begin. On September 20, Tecmo will be releasing the PlayStation 2 installment of its popular Monster Rancher series. Monster Rancher 3 offers all the monster breeding and battling of the past games with new cel-shaded graphics, new creatures, and many gameplay additions. Readers can check out full details of the game in our comprehensive preview.

    As in the past games, Monster Rancher 3 lets players generate creatures from any game, music, or data CD; for the first time DVDs will be supported, as well. Not all of MR3's monsters are attainable through normal means, however. Five unique monsters can only be unlocked with a special Pandora's Disc. The disc is being offered as a preorder bonus for those who purchase the game through Tecmo's website, but the company wants to make sure as many of these special monsters as possible are released in America. To help them along, the GIA has teamed with Tecmo to give away ten copies of the Pandora's Disc -- one lucky winner will also receive a retail copy of Monster Rancher 3.

   We're not going to make it easy, though; you'll have to do a little monster identification to enter the contest. We've selected five special creatures from Monster Rancher 2 (on the PSone); each one of them generated from a specific PlayStation game. Our winners will be selected from those who can correctly identify exactly which game (and there's only one) gives you the pictured monster. We'll select ten winners from the top entries; one of those winners will be randomly chosen for grand prize.

   Details: The Monster Rancher 3 Giveaway has officially ended. We are no longer accepting entries. The winners (and answers) will be announced on September 20. Good luck!

	Monster #1 We were hoping for something a little more snake-like from this adventure game, but the bandanna and camouflage should provide some solid clues.
	Monster #2 While not nearly as cute as the hero of the action RPG which spawns him, this modified Durahan does look like he shares that fencer's sword skills.
	Monster #3 Not too tough -- how many PlayStation games prominently feature dice?
	Monster #4 This stealthy assassin is a special version of Monster Rancher's standard Kato breed.
	Monster #5 One of Tecmo's own games will net you this special Naga. The outfit's even the same as that game's main character.