Internet search giant Google is set to trial an online virtual universe similar to the popular Second Life game, according to reports.

Students at Arizona State University in the US currently have access to an avatar system on its broadband servers, called My World, which is rumoured to be powered by Google, the Times reports.

A blog post earlier this year by technology-based venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg suggested that Google was "working on turning Google Earth into a virtual world a la Second Life". The search engine firm has close links already with Arizona State University.

Mr Eisenberg added on his blog: "After hearing this, I was struck by the language on the Google Earth website – 'One more step to creating a life-like 3-D model of the whole planet.' "

Second Life, created by Linden Research, is the best-known of a string of virtual worlds to have emerged in recent years. Launched in 2003, it boasts some nine million user accounts. Users interact with one another through online personas, dubbed avatars.

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