A video game featuring a virtual bar and blood alcohol content meter will inform MSU students about the consequences of abusing alcohol this fall.

The program is an update of Alcohol 101, a CD-ROM used in Olin Health Center, residence halls, sororities and fraternities.

The new interactive program, called Alcohol 101 Plus, allows users to make decisions for virtual characters in video scenarios involving alcohol consumption.

Participants can pick from a variety of characters including a basketball player in a bar the night before a game or a freshman in a dorm room.

If students choose to drink, a message appears on the screen detailing the consequences of their decision.

Jasmine Greenamyer, a health educator at Olin, said the program always has been well received by students.

"We're excited for the update," she said.

"It gives students a relevant idea of what happens when they drink. It's very interactive and one of the more effective programs."

In addition to video scenarios, the program includes b4udrink, an interactive trivia game about alcohol, friends, school and sex.

A virtual bar allows users to test how long it takes their blood alcohol content to return to zero based on their height, weight and other characteristics.

The program also includes a virtual brain which gives information about how alcohol affects the body.

Wilson Hall Director Christine Engel said she uses the program to educate first-time offenders about the residence hall's alcohol policy.

"It's the perfect opportunity for students to learn a little bit about what alcohol does both physiologically and psychologically," she said.

The hall has two copies of the program and Engel asks students who are required to use the CD to write a reflection on what they learned.

"It's a creative way to get information out there without having to go through a full fledged alcohol education class, because not all students need that," she said.

The original program was released in 1998 and distributed for free to more than 5,000 colleges and universities nationwide.

It was developed by The Century Council, a national nonprofit organization that promotes responsible consumption of alcohol.

For more information on the CD-ROM program, visit www.alcohol101plus.org