Not that one, the other one. You know, "The Game."

In the movie, Douglas' character is sucked into a game, masquerading as real life, that puts him unknowingly into dangerous situations as a total immersion simulation.

So far, a real version of "The Game" doesn't exist, but for the past six years, the idea has simmered in the digital entertainment cauldron.

It's called an alternate reality game (ARG).

The idea is that the game goes beyond the keyboard and the mouse to create a simulation that can blend a mix of Web sites, instant messaging, card games, faxes and phone calls to break the fourth wall of your monitor.

The current darling of the genre is "Perplex City."

The residents of the puzzle-crazed burg on some bizzaro planet in some alternate dimension have lost The Receda Cube, a holy and powerful object.

Designed by a UK developer, Mind Candy, the game is told through collectible cards, Web sites and occasional real-world activities.

A free online account will allow you to rack up points by solving puzzles on the cards. They could be answers to pop culture questions or logic puzzles. All cards also have clues to the greater mystery of the Receda Cube. Whoever can locate the cube on planet Earth has a chance to win $200,000.

So it's like a big scavenger hunt, with tens of thousands of players looking to discover where in the world the whatsit is.

"Perplex City" is one of the few alternate reality titles not tied into a viral marketing scheme.

One of the first, "The Beast," used hidden messages in the movie poster for the Steven Spielberg's 2001 flick "AI."

Microsoft used a Web site, www.ilovebees.com, to present an alternate reality game that promoted "Halo 2."

The last big non-marketing foray into the genre was "Majestic," from Electronic Arts, in 2001. The online game used instant messages, e-mails, faxes and phone calls to move along a secret government conspiracy.

Neat concept, but beyond the innovations, critics declared the puzzles simple and the story lame.

From the toe that I've dipped into "Perplex City," I think the genre might have a little more texture than "Majestic." This could take alternate reality gaming out of the marketing realm into the mainstream.

For more information: www.perplexcity.com.