Lock up the children. Rockstar North is coming to town with a shockingly brutal new title…

It's a sick, sick world we live in. Or at least, that's what you'll be thinking once you find yourself locked in the arms of Rockstar North's latest labour of brutality. Manhunt puts you in the shoes of James Earl Cash, a hardened prisoner sentenced to death-row for a string of vicious crimes unknown to the player. Fed the lethal injection, you wake up in a silenced room surrounded by surveillance cameras, wondering just how you've managed to cheat death. You're immediately alerted to a voice that echoes around the room. You're going to get a second chance, although you're going to have to work for it…

You're directed by a sleazy, weasel-voiced individual named Starkweather. It appears that Mr. Starkweather has a particular affinity for snuff movies, and you're to be the star in his new blockbuster. Taking the streets, you're told to execute everything that moves in the most grotesque, brutal and perverse way possible, all while being followed by the numerous second-grade cameras plotted around the broken-down Carcer City. The state of affairs is a simple as they come - kill or be killed. The only way you're getting out of town tonight is with blood on your hands.

Don't be mistaken into thinking this is some kind of glorified, mindless killing simulation. Underneath the gritty, shameful exterior lies a simple stealth game, akin to the likes of Tenchu and Metal Gear Solid. This essentially results in Cash shying away from direct confrontations and attempting to take out patrols silently with haste. This is where the basic premise of the game takes off. In order for Cash to progress throughout the game, he has to execute the scum that stands between him and the level exit.

Executions are pretty simple to pull off. Sneak up behind someone and you'll notice the targeting reticule turn grey. By pressing the attack key, the view will change to a close-up camera with a dirty, old VHS surveillance filter layered over the top. Here you'll see Cash unleash hell on the unsuspecting victim with whatever weapon he is currently brandishing in his hand. However, Starkweather will be happier to see you pull off even more gruesome murders, so you're encouraged to take it up a notch.

By delaying your attack, Cash will vulnerably wait behind his victim with his weapon raised. By delaying the attack for three to five seconds, Cash will be able to perform a violent kill, which will go down well with Starkweather. However, delaying the attack by more than five seconds will see Cash performing a gruesome kill, which naturally causes the most mess as we see him cut, tear, bludgeon and decapitate his victims with little or no remorse.

These execution scenes are all shockingly brutal. Cash will get his hands on a variety of weaponry; many made up of household items, but the way he delivers his attacks are all violently innovative. Blood sticks to the camera as arteries are sliced, diced and torn and Cash will relentlessly hammer his victims into bloody messes even after they're dead. Believe me when I say that no other game is more deserving of an "18" BBFC rating than this.

Missions are of a rather basic affair, ranging from simple missions to find a knife to open a gate through to fetching a gas tank back to a crane in order to move a fridge blocking your way. The story doesn't become too involving until the latter portion of the game, when things start getting slightly more personal and a few plot twists ensue. For the most part though, the story takes a backseat to the general idea that you are let loose into a world where everyone around you wants you dead.

You'll almost be convinced that the enemies you'll encounter have a personal vendetta against you. Many will choose moments to deliver snide remarks, offensive slurs and general observations. When the enemies do track you down, the music takes on a darker tone and you'll literally be running for your life. Cash can fight but he's no match for the gangs of thugs that he's hunting. Their ugly, sadistic war-cries shake you to the core, causing you to shudder from the inside as they hunt around their turf searching you out as you hide in the shadows.

This is grind house horror at its best though. For all the unruly, grisly deaths that you will have to endure, none of them are ever glorified to the point where you feel Rockstar North are doing this for the sake of it. This is a cruel game and the deeper you venture into it, the thicker the atmosphere becomes and higher the sense of shock and fear rises. Starkweather will go as far as he needs to make his killer movie, even to the extremes of meddling with innocent people's lives.

This is where the feeling of empathy takes over, even despite the fact that Cash himself should have been killed for crimes against humanity. You're still shocked, and Manhunt gets it across vividly. You will have to stop to remind yourself that this is just a game, and that everyone on screen is a fictional character, no matter how explicit the depictions are.

In this, Rockstar North has successfully created a game that immerses the player in a cruel, unruly world where they feel they have no escape. Anyone with the stomach and maturity to get through this gritty journey will be rewarded with a genuinely playable action-stealth adventure. It's by no means a perfect game, and there really isn't much story past the basic premise described at the beginning, but for anyone who's looking for a downright dirty gaming experience will do a lot worse than give Manhunt a try. Just keep it away from the kids.