Killer monkeys attack spammers

A custom-made game offering virtual revenge on spammers is gaining cult status as internet users queue up to take out their frustrations at receiving unwanted email.

The game boasts a delicious menu of punishments to inflict upon the purveyors of junkmail who target your inbox.

'Torture a Spammer' was devised by a US company, Marketing Sherpa, after the theft of more than 10 million of its customers' email addresses.

The firm believes its troubles began when ex-employees of SparkList.com, its mailing list host, sold a back-up copy of the list to spammers.

Since the game's launch two weeks ago, it has quickly gained a large following, with over 14,000 visitors joining in.

Various icons represent different kinds of spammers. They include a blond in a red bikini (for pornography spam); a purple and white pill (for those deflating Viagara emails); a man in a trenchcoat (spam-list salesmen); and a house with dollar bills (for mortgage offers).

Players can choose how to attack their selected spammer from a selection of gruesome punishments, including boiling oil and flying killer monkeys.

And players of the game do not even have to expect spam from its developers that they then have to opt out from. MarketingSherpa has instead gone for the squeaky clean 'opt-in' option.

The Torture a Spammer game can be found here.