Trading cards game Top Trumps has been popular among young children for decades, but a new alternative Christian version of the game has been released to help children learn more about biblical characters and values.

|PIC1|Children may be more used to seeing Top Trump cards featuring Marvel super heroes, sports cars or even High School Musical characters. However, the Christian alternative, which was released earlier this year, sees cartoon versions of famous Old Testament characters such as Moses or Samson.

The 35 characters are rated in four categories - strength, obedience, times mentioned in the Bible and years BC.

In addition, the pack also contains special cards requesting the player to name all Ten Commandments, or all Ten Plagues that struck Egypt.

Testament Trumps was created by Steven Strongman. According to the Daily Express he said, “They are a bit of fun but have a serious message. I want schoolchildren to enjoy playing the game but also take on board the decent values the cards represent.

“A lot of youngsters are unfamiliar with the Bible and its teachings but are huge fans of Top Trumps so there was no better way of addressing that issue."

He said he had received lots of positive feedback since the cards were launched in May.

“When you make something children enjoy they pick things up much quicker. The real challenge we faced was making stories that are thousands of years old appeal to today’s children. We had to find something they would identify with," he continued.

He gave the example Delilah, who took Samson’s strength by cutting off his long hair and who is pictured as a hairdresser. The Pharaoh of Egypt who enslaved God’s people is a gangster.

“As well as providing a fun game, the cards can also teach children the basics of ethics and faith on a level they can understand," he said.

A spokesman for the Church of England welcomed the idea. He told the Daily Express: “Fresh interpretations like this demonstrate the durability of the Bible’s greatest figures.

“Facing an opponent who has drawn the strength of Samson or the wisdom of Solomon will hopefully encourage new audiences to find out the whole story.”