Eidos is bringing a re-working of the 1985 arcade classic, Gauntlet, to the DS.

Promising a hefty experience in the fantasy hack 'n' slasher, Eidos tells us, "Featuring 40 maps across three realms, Gauntlet offers fast-paced, retro RPG crusade-style gameplay in addition to new and in-depth multi-player features including cooperative play and competitive multiplayer. The arcade style competitive multi-player feature strengthens the addictive Gauntlet experience by introducing ranked multiplayer games like - Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Treasure Hoard game modes, hosted with local Nintendo Wireless play or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection."

Additionally, we're promised that the game will make use of the DS's VoIP functionality, enabling players to chat using the handheld's microphone.

The announcement comes with a spot of gusto-charged comment from Ray Livingston, Brand Manager at Eidos. “With Gauntlet we’ve revitalised all of the action and fun of the original 1980s arcade classic, whilst updating the visuals and gameplay for today’s DS gamer”, he said. “With four-player Wi-Fi cooperative mode, one of the most memorable multiplayer gaming experiences of all time is back with a bang.”

The game was originally released in the arcades by Atari.

Eidos, which is set to relocate much of its development operation to Montreal, Canada, soon, seems to be placing a fair amount of focus on the DS at the moment. Including Gauntlet, its last three game announcements have been for Nintendo's handheld. The last two were Soul Bubbles and a new Looney Tunes title. It may be that the troubled publisher hopes to alleviate its financial woes by focusing on (relatively) cheap development projects.

You can see some of the first screens for Gauntlet below, then catch the rest on SPOnG's dedicated game page.