A computer analysis of Shakespeare's controversial "missing play" concludes the Bard of Avon was indeed the author.

Scholars have disagreed for centuries over whether not "Arden of Faversham" was a genuine Shakespeare play or the work of someone else.

The computer review reported Saturday was conducted by an international team and used the technique of computational statistics to analyze the frequency of key words in the play and compare them to other Shakespearean works and the writings of other playwrights.

The words include "gentle," "hail," and "farewell," that are more prevalent in Shakespeare scripts.

The result was that "Arden" compared favorably to Shakespeare and less so to other writers, including those whom some academics have speculated wrote some of Shakespeare's other plays.

"Arden of Faversham" was written in 1592 and is based on the murder of the mayor of Faversham by his wife and her boyfriend.