If the U.S. plans to attack Iraq at some point in the near future, as has been speculated, the Pentagon might want to give advance notice to submarine commanders -- they may be busy playing video games. The Interactive Digital Software Association, a trade group representing the major game publishers, said on Tuesday it has worked with its members to equip all 72 submarines in the U.S. fleet with a game console and about 20 games each. Each ship received one game-playing console, divided evenly between Sony Corp.'s PlayStation and PlayStation 2, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s GameCube, an IDSA spokeswoman said.

A total of 1,700 copies of games, representing 76 different titles, were donated for the effort from various gamemakers. Among the most notable titles on the donation list are Electronic Arts Inc.'s "Madden NFL 2002," Activision Inc.'s "Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3" and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s "Grand Theft Auto 3." A Navy spokeswoman could not immediately comment on whether the Navy had asked for any restrictions on the types of games donated or their content. Of the 76 titles donated, 11 carry "Mature" ratings from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the game equivalent of an "R"-rated movie.