Eidos, the computer game company which, in Lara Croft, created a cyber heroine, has signalled that it is open to offers after announcing a second profits warning in three weeks.

The company said that it had launched a review into "strategic alternatives" after noting the increasing importance of financial muscle in the maturing games market.

Increased levels of competition and the soaring costs of game development had left Eidos "increasingly reliant" on the performance of key titles, such as the Lara Croft Tomb Raider games which raised the company to global prominence.