An interesting legal loophole could see the banned game Manhunt 2 released without certification.

The 1984 Video Recording Act, under which the game has been refused certification, only covers physical media, not digital downloads. By selling the game online only the makers, Rockstar, could get around the legislation.

The game was banned in the UK because it "constantly encourages visceral killing". It has received certification in the US and will be released on 29 October.

A PlayStation 2 test version of the game has already appeared on file sharing sites and has been downloaded many times.

Rockstar was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.