Rockstar Games, producer of Manhunt 2, has issued a statement expressing its "disappointment" at the decision by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) to ban the game. 

The company said that Manhunt 2 is in line with rival computer games and with content available on television and in films.

Rockstar Games has asked the BBFC to take into account the feelings of adult gamers who might want to make their own decisions.

"We believe that all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume," the statement reads.

"The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

Other countries have now entered the fray. The Irish Film Censor's Office (IFCO) has followed the BBFC in banning the game because of its scenes of "gross violence or cruelty involving mutilation and torture".

"We recognise that in certain films, DVDs and video games, strong graphic violence may be a justifiable element within the overall context of the work," said the IFCO.

"However, in the case of Manhunt 2, IFCO believes that there is no such context, and that the level of gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence is unacceptable."

The Entertainment Software Rating Board in the US gave the game an 'Adults Only' rating after pressure from consumer groups.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood called for the toughest possible rating, despite having never seen the game.

"Manhunt 2 will be the most violent video game released for the Nintendo Wii video game system," the organisation said.

"Wii players will act out the game's violence. One review describes using a saw to 'cut upward into a foe's groin and buttocks, motioning forward and backward with the Wii remote as you go'."

Sales of the game are expected to be very strong in territories where it is still available, and demand should be strong on online auction sites.