If you were a child of the late 70's or early 80's then you are probably familiar with Asteroids — an arcade game in which the objective is to protects one's spaceship from flying space debris.

Today, Alzheimer's Research UK has announced a modified version of the game that is designed specifically to help build awareness and education for dementia. In Amyloids, (named for the telltale protein that builds up in the brains of dementia sufferers), players must defend brain cells from amyloid and other harmful proteins, such as tau, associated with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

The game — which consists of 24 levels and can be downloaded for Android, Apple, or played online — incorporates disease statistics into a simple story line that also provides a scientific summary of the problem. When beginning, the player is told their mission: to defeat dementia. Using their 'world class scientific skills' they must 'break up the gathering amyloid army and heal brain cells that are under the grip of tau."

Click here to play Amyloids for free on your computer

Instead of running out of ammunition, the game cleverly depends on the player not running out of "research resources" — because "tackling dementia takes time, money and energy." To that end, Alzheimer's Research UK is the U.K.'s leading dementia research charity, funding more than £26m of pioneering biomedical research across the U.K. and around the world.

"Games have enormous potential as educational and awareness-raising tools. By creating what is primarily a fun experience, they can demonstrate concepts and convey information incidentally – without requiring any special effort from players," said Tim Parry, head of communications at Alzheimer's Research UK, in a statement.

Donations to support Alzheimer's Research UK can be made through the game's website. A one-time contribution of £3 can be sent by texting DEFEAT to 70111.

"While the science explained through Amyloids only brushes the surface of what are a set of extremely complex diseases, we hope that players will enjoy the game and take away the message that there are biological changes underlying dementia that can be tackled through research," continued Parry.

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