Like Fairtrade chocolate? Play Choca Monkey

A new game is hoping to persuade you of the merits of chocolate and Fairtrade. We don't need any persuading on the choco-front either, but Choca Monkey might help you learn a smattering more about why fairly traded chocolate is so important to Ghanaian cocoa farmers.

Designed by school kid Grace Conium of Fulstor Manor School, the game promises to be a sideways-scrolling platformer in the tradition of Manic Miner, Mario and other greats. The aim: to save farmer's cocoa beans by killing the monsters trying to nick them, bigging-up Fairtrade en-route.

Grace's vision was the winner of a hotly-contested competition and is being realised by Dubble Chocolate, the Fairtrade kids bar made by the same people behind our much-loved Divine Chocolate. The tech side's being handled by Atticmedia and, judging from the screenshots we've seen, it won't be tearing kids away from their Wiis -- but it could provide a few minutes web distraction.

If you want to spread the Fairtrade word, you'll also be able to embed the game on your blog, MySpace page, or any other internet page that'll take some cut-and-pasted HTML. The game's official launch is 14 December via Dubble Click -- we'll report back once we've had a play.