Fever over China's online game swamps server

updated 3:26 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2007

BEIJING - A Chinese government-sponsored online game that allows players to battle corrupt officials and their bikini-clad mistresses has been overwhelmed by user demand, state media reported Tuesday.

The Ningbo Haishu District Discipline Commission in Zhejiang province launched "Incorruptible Warrior" to show people how to fight corrupt officials, Xinhua News Agency said.

But demand for the game was too great.

"It has been closed so it could be updated as more and more users have registered, overloading the server," Xinhua quoted an unidentified commission official as saying.

Corruption remains widespread among high-level officials in China, despite public anger and repeated campaigns by the ruling Communist Party to uproot graft.

"The game requires players to learn government anti-corruption measures and to kill corrupt officials while avoiding attacks by their henchmen and mistresses clad in bikinis," Xinhua said.

The game was released on July 25 and had reportedly attracted more than 10,000 players by Aug. 1. However, the game server could only accommodate 600 players at a time, according to head designer Hua Tong.

"The game is a new method of anti-corruption education," Hua said.

It is not known when the game would be back online, Xinhua said.

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