'Appropriate punishment' for cheats, hackers and other virtual wrongdoers

Roman-style justice has returned to Britain for the first time in 2,000 years after an online game player was 'crucified' this week.

A 27 year-old electrical engineer from Michigan, known in the game as 'Cynewulf', was nailed to a cross as punishment for killing other players as soon as they appeared in the Roma Victor Roman roleplay game.

"Although crucifixion is nowadays synonymous with persecution and religious symbolism, in 180 AD it was just one of many severe punishments used by the Romans to punish criminals and to send a clear message to other potential wrong-doers," said Kerry Fraser-Robinson, chief executive at Roma Victor developer RedBedlam.

"And since our online world is historically authentic, we feel that applying this punishment to cheats, hackers and other virtual wrongdoers is not only appropriate, but adds to the gaming experience by resonating with classical history."

Roma Victor's world of Roman-occupied Britannia is currently in the final stages of testing and will officially launch on 1 July 2006.

'Cynewulf', who is the first player within Roma Victor to receive this brutal punishment, will be impaled on a cross for seven days.

Players can see him in the digital reconstruction of the provincial town of Corstopitum, which in modern-day Britain is Corbridge in Northumberland.