EVER wondered how Lara Croft seems almost lifelike in the Tomb Raider video game? The realistic swing of her ponytail as she runs is the work of Havok, an Irish software firm.

Havok last week signed a new deal with Sony to have the gaming software, known as a physics engine, included in the development kit for PlayStation 3. Developers will now be able to use Havok tools from the outset when building games for the new console, which is due to be launched next year.

Sony is promising movie-standard graphics in PlayStation 3 gaming, and Havok’s selection is a big endorsement of its technology.

More than 70 game developers and publishers have licensed Havok products for more than 120 games on Microsoft’s Xbox, Nintendo’s GameCube and the PC platform, as well as on the PlayStation.

Havok’s computer software has also been used in films such as Troy and The Matrix Reloaded.

Havok, which has offices in Dublin and San Francisco, was founded in 1998 by Hugh Reynolds and Steven Collins and grew from a Trinity College campus company. Both remain on the board.

David O’Meara, a fellow Trinity alumnus, became the firm’s chief executive in 2003.

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