So, you think you (or a monkey, perhaps) could do a better job running the government than the blokes in charge today? Than give it a try! New online games give citizens the opportunity to try out their governmental skills.

The French government launched a game yesterday called “cyber budget”, which allows players to be a virtual Finance Minister and make decisions about whether to spend revenue or cut taxes. The object is to successfully balance France’s national budget of nearly 300bn euros. Players can take the fiscally conservative route, and risk cutting growth, or spend away and gamble boosting demand.

The New Statesman introduced a game called “Fantasy Health Minister” last year in which players are given the opportunity to make policy decisions in the public health sector. To be successful, players must be able to balance risk to political capital, budget concerns and the overall health of the nation. At the end of each game, players receive a description of their political leanings as either liberal, authoritarian, idealist or realist.

Italy also joined in virtual education with their online police station, Polizia di Stato. Since February, the site has enabled citizens to report on online crime.