Viruses: You gotta catch 'em all

A computer worm, featuring the children's cartoon character and marketing phenomenon Pikachu, is attacking operating systems around the world.

The virus, nicknamed 'Pokey', after the Pokemon cartoon in which the character appears, was first detected in the US last month and works in a similar way to the Love Bug.

The worm appears as an email attachment with the title 'Pikachu Pokemon' and the words 'Pikachu is your friend'.

When the attachment is opened, the furry image of Pikachu, appears on the screen and the infected system will begin sending the virus to every name in the user's address book.

Anti-virus specialists have warned of the damaging effects the virus will have on operating systems however, UK anti-virus vendor Sophos has reassured its users they will be safe from attack if their defences have been kept up to date.

Trend Micro added that 'Pokey' appears not to be as devastating as the Love Bug and assures users that "Pokey is slow moving".

Users are advised is to delete the email immediately.