You All Have The Bridge: Artemis 1.5

Artemis Bridge Simulator, everyone's favourite get-your-friends-round-and-play-Star-Trek-crew game just got a galaxy-sized* update. As well as a general polish, there's a new mission scripting system lets you create your own heroic adventures from scratch, plus test your collective wits against new space monsters, black holes, and elite ships with teleporters and cloaking devices. You also get a ship editor to put your own stamp on the universe, and even a few neutral ships and friendly destroyers to make the universe a slightly less lonely place.

If you haven't played Artemis before, the idea is that you and between 2-6 friends hook up your PCs or laptops in a single room, and each of you gets a specific station - Helm, Communications, Engineering, Science and Weapon Control. Everyone has to work together, giving and taking orders, just like in a Star Trek episode, except without the exploding consoles and sexy green women - at least unless you have some very willing friends who enjoy a bit of cosplay. Check out Alec's interview with creator Thom Robertson here.

A demo is available, and if you're not camera-shy, can earn you a copy of the full $40 version. All you have to do is set up a camera while you play, and upload the footage to YouTube. Costumes and bad accents are optional, but obviously highly recommended.

*A relatively small galaxy. The one on the cat's collar from Men In Black, perhaps.