The Ship, an online murder game with a unique set of rules, has been released over Steam.

Originally a mod for Half-Life, The Ship is set on a luxury 1920s cruise ship built by the mysterious Mr X. At the beginning of the game, the player is given the name of another passenger whom they must find and secretly murder. Using observation or talking with other people, the player must covertly track down their quarry without alerting the security team of the ship. This is not the only danger to watch out for, though: the player is also a target for one of the other passengers on the ship, turning the game into a cat and mouse scenario. Kill or be killed. And no, the player cannot simply go on a murderous rampage - Mr X will fine players who exhibit this kind of behaviour.

Packaged with the retail version of the game is a standalone single player version meant for practicing. However, the real focus of this game is upon the multiplayer element.

The Ship is available on Steam for US $19.95 (AU $26.50).