SYDNEY, Australia - Australian officials effectively banned the computer game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and ordered it removed from stores Friday because it contains hidden sex scenes that can be viewed with a special Internet download.

The Office of Film and Literature Classification said in a statement it had outlawed sales of the game by stripping it of its official classification after learning of the explicit content.

"Revocation of a classification means the computer game cannot be legally sold, hired, advertised or exhibited in Australia from the date the decision is made," the statement said.

"Businesses that sell or hire computer games should remove existing stocks of this game from their shelves immediately," said Des Clark, director of the government-funded classification board. . . .

The classification board in October 2004 gave the game a MA15+ rating, meaning it could be sold only to people aged over age 15, and warned that it contained "medium level animated violence, medium level coarse language."

On Friday, Clark advised parents to be on the alert for their children accessing the explicit scenes.

"Parents are strongly advised to exercise caution in allowing children continued access to the game," he said — particularly if they have access to the Internet modification.

Right. Because shooting hookers in the face is acceptable entertainment for kids age 15+, but having sex with a hooker isn't. All controversy over rating systems aside, what kind of parents are ok with kids seeing the former happen in their video game but not the latter? It seems to me that if parents are this upset over the sexual content in the game they should have been upset with the violent content to begin with.

And now, because few moralizing twits decided to get all up in arms over some sexual content (after blithely allowing their kids to play the violent, murderous parts of the game), nobody in Australia can play the game. Not even consenting adults.

Which is what happens when you bring government into these things.

I don't feel a bit sorry for any of the parents outraged by this "controversy." Vigilant parents with a genuine concern for the type of entertainment their children engage in wouldn't have allowed their kids to purchase this game in the first place.