FHM readers in five European countries will have the chance to compete in a 15-day tournament taking place in various locations around the world as part of a campaign being run by Microsoft in support of its Xbox 360 console.

The Xbox 360/FHM Global Challenge will be promoted for six months from December in FHM's print and online platforms in the UK, France, Norway, Denmark and Holland.

The Xbox 360/FHM Global Challenge will see competition winners from each participating FHM territory compete in a 360-hour, 15-day event which will involve real-life challenges based on Xbox 360 games.

The event will take place in Japan, Australia, and the USA before moving onto the Caribbean where readers will take part in beach sports based on the Xbox 360 title Dead or Alive Xtreme 2.

FHM 'High Street Honeys' from each territory, chosen online by the magazine's readers, will accompany the winners on their trip.

The promotional activity for the challenge kicks off in the January 2007 issue of the five international issues of FHM and comprises an eight-page advertorial. Subsequent months will see three-page advertorials appear in each issue, while a five-page review will be published at the end of the campaign detailing the Challenge winners' adventures across the globe.

The print activity will be supported by a microsite, while coverage of the competition will also appear on the Xbox Live online gaming service.

Richard Teversham, director, platform and marketing, home and entertainment division EMEA, Microsoft, said: "This is an exciting time for Xbox and we are pleased to be working with FHM and Universal McCann - continuing our media partnership programme. The Xbox 360 /FHM Global Challenge campaign is for a great fit for us, combining a genuinely creative idea that reflects what Xbox is about, with an international brand favoured by our target audiences."

Carrie Barker, sales director, Emap Advertising: "We are very delighted to be working with Microsoft and Universal McCann on this ambitious international campaign. FHM and Xbox have a great track record of working successfully together on ground breaking campaigns, as demonstrated by the Joanna Dark campaign when we ran the female star of Perfect Dark Zero on Xbox 360 as the cover girl for FHM issues across Europe. Our clients know they can rely on us to always put the creative idea first and the Xbox brand profile and games offering gave us great material to work with."