Angry Birds lands in Chrome Web browser

Rovio's "Angry Birds" is landing on Chrome in the first version of the addictively popular smartphone and tablet game tailored for play on a computer Web browser.

"We wanted to bring 'Angry Birds' to the Web or a long time," Peter Vesterbacka of Finnish software firm Rovio said while launching the new version at a Google developers conference in San Francisco.

"One of the reasons we've been angry is we haven't been able to bring this to the Web, until today."

Vesterbacka stepped on stage during a conference keynote at which Google engineers showed off Chrome browser improvements that included ramped-up graphics speeds for smooth rendering of imagery in games.

"We are bringing 'Angry Birds' to the biggest platform of the Web, and it's one of the best versions we built to date," Vesterbacka said. "It really rocks, as you will see."

Once the application is installed in a Chrome browser, the game can be played in its entirety even if a computer is not connected to the Internet.

"It will make those flights more bearable," said Vesterbacka, who is referred to as Rovio's "Mighty Eagle."

Angry Birds has shot to pop culture stardom and launched Rovio into worldwide fame.

Millions of smartphone and tablet computer users have downloaded the game and are tapping away at their devices, catapulting cartoonish birds into absurd fortresses built by little green pigs who have stolen the birds' eggs.

(c) 2011 AFP