In a 12-page statement issued Friday, New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification said the game "Manhunt" depicts horror, cruelty, crime and violence in such a manner that its availability was likely to hurt the public good.

Chief censor Bill Hastings said that computer games generally appear to be getting more "edgy" _ but that "Manhunt," for the PlayStation 2, goes further than any that's been referred to his office. "It's a game where the only thing you do is kill everybody you see," he said. "You can choose to kill 'mild,' 'medium' or 'hot.'"

Weapons used ranged from glass shards to garroting wire, plastic bags and machetes. The game has a mature rating. "You have to at least acquiesce in these murders and ...