Games publisher Take-Two Interactive will next week re-release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas having culled the controversial game of its naughty bits.

GTA:SA hit the headlines in July after it emerged that the game contains x-rated content, although it takes a special 'Hot Coffee' modification code to open the software's virtual kimono. In normal circumstances, the nudie shower scenes and digital rumpy-pumpy are never shown, merely hinted at with some suggestive sound effects.

Now, according to retailers EB Games and GameStop's websites, the smut-free incarnation of GTA:SA Second Edition will ship next Tuesday, this time with a Mature rating.

Still, will that be enough to spare Take-Two from the Federal Trade Commission's investigation into the game, prompted by the porn content revelation - or indeed from the lawsuits that have followed close at hand? ®

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