An Australian games studio has developed an application for the iPhone that it claims could help couch-potato children and their parents reach a truce.
Bulpadok says that through The Hidden Park it intends to create a gaming environment for children in the outdoors "without compromising their enjoyment of digital entertainment".
The game utilises the iPhone's GPS capabilities to take children into a fantasy world of trolls, fairies and tree genies created around a public garden.
The children need to follow a GPS map of the park, solve riddles and beat magical creatures at games in order to save it from being over-run by greedy developers.
Bulpadok's director, James Kane, said: "The beauty of The Hidden Park is that it can be adapted for other parks. We've rolled out the game across nine cities around the world, including New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney."
The firm says it is now working on a "park builder" that will enable parents to adapt the game to their local public spaces.
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