So how do you pitch an old painkiller that’s usually used by older people with aches and pains, such as arthritis, to a younger crowd? Bayer’s consumer division hopes it’s found an answer for its Aleve brand by creating a strange web site that features a goofy scientist (see picture) and a sexy TV news reporter, who must restore the flow of info on the Internet.

“Through his research, Dr. Briggs uncovers a vast conspiracy by P.A.I.N. (People Against Internet Networking) to shut down critical Web sites used for social networking. But P.A.I.N. is moving too fast for Dr. Briggs and (TV reporter Evelyn) Bloom to stop it alone. They need help!,” reads the press release. So visitors to www.aleviator.com can help by interacting with social networking and other sites that are under attack by P.A.I.N.

The hope is that people between ages 25 and 49 - instead of Aleve’s over 50-set - will enjoy the gambit and reach for Aleve Liquid Gels, which are targeted at younger folks who play a lot of sports, for instance. Fabio Gratton of Ignite Health, a marketing firm that created the game for Bayer, tells The New York Times that Bayer chose this approach because it seemed to be the best way to reach the intended audience “where they actually live.”

One bit of proof offered: More than 50 percent of the social networking audience was over 35. “You’d be surprised,” Gratton says. “The audience is there - we did our due diligence.” That may be so, but the fictional game appears a bit juvenile. Whether, say, a 38-year-old has the patience to sit through the silliness is unclear.

To its credit, Bayer clearly marks the site with the Aleve logo, so there’s no confusion about a commercial message. And $50 and $10 donations - up to $50,000 in total - will be made to The Conservation Fund for each person who completes the game, although only during the first month, and the charitable giving isn’t actually noted on the site.

it’s a test case, a lab experiment,” Jay Kolpon, Bayer’s vp for marketing and new business development, tells the Times. “There’s no question of the importance of Web 2.0. What’s still unclear is what’s the best way for consumer products to use the Internet.”