A poster of "Glorious Mission," the Chinese army's first online military game.[Photo/sina.com.cn]

The Chinese People's Liberation Army has released its first military game designed to train soldiers, China News Service reported Tuesday.

Glorious Mission, co-developed by the PLA's Nanjing command with Wuxi Giant Interactive Group, took 32 months to complete on June 20 and is praised by experts as "a breakthrough in military games and a pioneering work of the cyber-game industry".

The game is based on real military life with realistic looking uniforms, weapons and kit as players battle alone or in teams to complete their missions.

The program is also able to simulate different environments according to training needs, which makes the game more practical.

Many of the weapons and types of equipment now used by the PLA are available in virtual battles, including the Type 92 pistol, Type 89 machine gun, the 96A tank and ZBD2000 amphibious assault vehicle.

First-person shooter (FPS) games that simulate battle are now widely used for military education and drills in many countries including the US who launched America's Army.