LEEDS, England/PRNewswire/ --

New game app sets out to prevent real life tragedy of Carbon Monoxide poisoning

Lovers of Raymond Chandler crime novels and the stylings of Sin City and Max Payne are advised to check out iCOP, a free new app with a hard-hitting and true life twist, now available for download.

It's a rainy night, and a student lies dead in his rather squalid looking flat. You play the role of iCOP, a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Miss Marple, tasked with cracking the case.

Explore the unsanitary student pad, picking your way through discarded Rizla papers, old chicken burgers and jeans which stand up on their own, searching for clues as to how the student met his maker. Only don't take too long about it, or you'll start to feel strangely woozy and lightheaded.

The game, developed by the North of England's gas distributor, Northern Gas Networks, with agencies Plump Digital and Words & Pictures, is sure to second-guess even the most ardent fan of the genre. That's because (spoiler alert) the killer is invisible. It turns out to be carbon monoxide (or CO) that does for the student - a colourless, odourless gas created by dodgy gas fires and heating systems, which claims an average of 50 lives each year in the UK. And no, that bit is not virtual reality.

The app, which is also being championed by National Grid, allows players to store the national gas emergency number (0800 111 999) in their phones, and apply for a free CO alarm.

Gwen Allen from Northern Gas Networks said: "CO poisoning continues to claims lives every year, so it's vital that we keeping delivering the safety message in new and imaginative ways.

"Students living off campus in cheap rented accommodation are one of the key 'at risk' groups for CO poisoning. By making students more aware of the warning signs and symptoms, and encouraging them to apply for a CO alarm, we can help to save lives.

"The game is far from preachy, however. It's been lovingly developed and there's an atmospheric film noir style to the whole thing. We want to draw players into the game, and then sneak up on them with the safety message."

The app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play. More information is also at the iCOP Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/iCOP12