Handmark Inc., a publisher of software for handheld computers announced that it has acquired substantially all Pocket Express assets, a publisher of software for Palm OS devices focusing on entertainment titles.

The acquisition includes the Pocket Express website, customer lists and Palm OS games including the Tetris Classic based Pocket Express Entertainment Pack and the Midway Arcade Classics game bundles. The two firms are privately held and the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Handmark's current titles include SCRABBLE and MONOPOLY games, Rand McNally StreetFinder, as well as the retail versions of both WordSmith and MobileDB for PDA platforms.

Handmark CEO August Grasis III described the acquisition as "another important step in the Handmark strategy to consolidate the best brands and best software for Palm OS and other platforms under one trusted consumer brand. We look forward to the rapid expansion of Handmark software and other services to enhance the mobile computing experience. With this acquisition Handmark becomes a dominant publisher of PDA games with four of the top ten titles on Handango."

According to Handmark, Pocket Express titles will continue to be available through all existing sales channels. However, Handmark will re-package the software as Handmark branded titles on both CD-ROM and MultiMediaCard formats. Repackaged as Handmark titles the game bundles are slated to be available at most major retail stores that sell Palm OS based devices for $19.99 each as well as in campus bookstores across North America. The game bundles and individual games are also available as online downloads from both the Handmark website and the Pocket Express online store.