Hidden sex scenes cause Grand Theft Auto recall

A top selling computer game which faces being banned in Australian has been recalled in New Zealand by the Chief Censor after hidden sex scenes were found.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, has been recalled by Chief Sensor Bill Hastings for reclassification, after it was revealed a hidden sex mini-game could be unlocked by downloading software from the internet.

The game already has the highest possible R18 rating in New Zealand because of the violence and crime it depicts, and faces being banned in Australia, where its classification is being reviewed.

Some retailers in Australia have pulled it off their shelves, but the game is still being sold by all major outlets in New Zealand.

Australia's censorship laws do not allow computer games with R ratings. The sexual content is activated by downloading software from the internet, which unlocks codes already existing in the game.

"The sexual content was not known to be part of the game when we classified it in 2004," said Mr Hastings.

"R18 is the highest age restriction the Classifications Office can make. The game's classification will not necessarily change because of the sex scenes.

"However, we need to be sure the current classification is still appropriate given that the game can be changed by activating new content," he said.

By downloading the software players can then start up the game and have a choice of the "quick action version", where they can go straight to the sex game, or the "gameplay friendly version" where they still have to complete all the tasks in the game to get to the sex game.

In the quick action version the player goes to his girlfriend's house, picks her up and takes her for a drink at a bar.

He then takes her home and she invites him inside, where the player can then control sex acts and angle views using the computer mouse.

The game is won or lost on the girlfriend's "excitement" level.

Classifications office information unit manager David Wilson said that when a computer game was submitted for classification the manufacturers were required to provide all codes available on the game.

Mr Wilson said the distributors and manufacturers had denied knowing the mini-game was on it.

Computer technicians have said the mini-game may have been part of the original game, but when manufacturers realised it would not make it past classification they closed that part of the game down.

The software which can be downloaded from the internet unlocks it.

Mr Wilson said it was unlikely the game would be banned in New Zealand but a tag may be added to the R18 rating letting people know it contains sex scenes.

"We will be looking at it over the next couple of weeks," Mr Wilson said.

He believed the mini-game existed only in the PC version of the game.