Costing about US$415,000, the game aims to help people improve their English and learn about the US.

"It is just one small part of our outreach," said Tim Receveur of the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs.

According to a report on CNN on Monday, the game is free and was rolled out last week. It only has 120 players so far.

"We've had Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran as our biggest customers so far," Receveur said. "We're starting to see it pick up."

Currently the game is being spread via social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, although the State Department may do some formal advertising at a later date reported CNN.

Ali Reza Manouchehri, CEO of the company that designed the game, said the goal is to have 10,000 people tapping away on X-Life in 12 months.

The State Department says the game was developed to bridge cultures, encourage exchanges and break down barriers.