British developer Codemasters has signed a deal with home ground publisher The Templar Company PLC to bring the latter’s 14-million-selling ‘Ology series of books into the world of casual gaming.

Codemasters will develop a series of games based on Templar Publishing’s “major publishing phenomenon” Ology -as the Wall Street Journal called it- exclusively for Nintendo’s Wii and DS platforms.

Three books (Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology, published in the US by Candlewick Press) will have their video-game representation soon, with Dragonology being the first, in the second half of 2008.

The British code-masters will build two different versions of games for each book, one for the Wii (focused on action gaming) and one for the DS (which will embrace explorative gameplay in the form of an interactive book).

“Extending Codemasters’ reach in the family entertainment category, this alliance with Templar further demonstrates the continued growth and diversification of our portfolio,” said Barry Jafrato, Senior Vice President of Brand, Codemasters. “With each title based on a popular fantasy theme and delivering a truly content-rich read, Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology are major entertainment properties that form a perfect base on which to build original and creative gaming experiences.”

“The ‘Ology book brand is a powerful contemporary franchise and we always seek to work with high caliber creative partners,” commented Richard Scrivener, Commercial and Operations Director, Templar Publishing. “Right from the outset, we were impressed by the combination of Codemasters’ passion for the product and their global reach.”

The first book in the ‘Ology trilogy (Dragonology: the Complete book of Dragons), written by Dugald A. Steer and published in 52 international languages four years ago, boasts with sales of more than 5.7 million copies worldwide.