A new game gives kids a crash course|in different cultures as they struggle to save Southeast Asia from disaster

A super-typhoon ripping in to Southeast Asia has already wrecked the Philippines and is heading towards other countries. Latest reports show flash flooding and destroyed power plants.

So begins reality-game "Asean Quest: Ten Countries, One Mission", which puts you in charge of fixing things.

The region is in blackout and the first challenge is getting the lights back on by building plants - nuclear, hydroelectric and bio-fuel - and then connecting them to set up a regional energy grid.

But there are mini-quests, too: finding objects to restore a ruined Buddhist temple, shooting the bugs that are invading a sugarcane plantation, and driving a nuclear waste-laden truck through a minefield.

To win and pick up a "Certificate of Performance", you'll also have to learn how to say welcome in different languages, identify the national anthems of the 10 member states and visit Asean heritage sites.

It might not be the most thrilling game you have ever played, but the Asean Foundation is hoping "Asean Quest" will raise awareness among the kids of Southeast Asia about their neighbouring countries and the link between them. It's too early to say whether it has worked.

Get your joystick ready

The Asean Foundation's executive director Filemon Uriarte says that 1,000 free copies are being distributed across member countries for anyone to try. He jokes that though their jobs might be the same, the physical resemblance between your character and the real Asean head, Surin Pitsuwan, is coincidental.

The game was launched in July with an "Asean Quest" competition at the Asean Youth Science Summit in Manila, the Philippines. A team of two Thai high-school students were narrowly beaten to the first prize by an Indonesian pair, with third place going to a Brunei team.