For the time being there seems little chance of Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 arriving in the UK, but US gamers will from today be able to purchase the controversial title in games stores following its official release.

After initially being granted a restrictive Adults Only rating by North American trade body ESRB, the title was instead given a more lenient Mature certificate on appeal, meaning it will be widely available to the public.

In the UK, however, the same version that hits US retail today was denied a release by British body the BBFC. There have been suggestions that a possible download-only version could conceivably be on the cards, but in the mean time UK gamers have no access to the title.

No doubt Manhunt 2’s notoriety will lead to a number of importers enjoying a lot of business – though aside from the region-free PSP version, PS2 and Wii gamers face the prospect of illegally modding their console if they wish to play the title.