Vladimir Putin a video game star

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MOSCOW, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Russian video gamers now have a chance to play Vladimir Putin with "Like Putin," which allows them to fight terrorists and forest fires.

"Like Putin" is produced by Agency One, RIA Novosti reported. Alexei Kabakov, who heads the company, said he hoped the game would garner publicity for Agency One.

"We were afraid that the reaction would be bad, but it seems to me that we made an enjoyable game," Kabakov said. "We were thinking about a striking move to promote our agency. And Vladimir Putin immediately came to our minds."

Putin, the former and possibly future president of Russia, is now prime minister. He is popular in Russia in spite of criticism that he is corrupt and autocratic, and his image has been used in several advertising campaigns.

"Like Putin" is a platform game, with players, as Putin, jumping into different situations, coping with fires and terrorists or driving a Lada Kalina.

Some analysts have suggested Putin or his allies convinced Agency One to produce the game.