The British Board for Film Classification, which also handles the ratings for videogames in the United Kingdom, has leaked information regarding GTA IV on its site. At the moment the information was taken down but there are plenty of things that we found out.

The BBFC stated, in the leaked info, that: "The game has been rated '18' for strong violence, very strong language, very strong sex references and drugs use," and then went on to detail each element of the game that contributed to the 18 rating.

The big news is that sex in GTA IV is taken to a whole new level. Hot Coffee, stand aside! The BBFC says that: "During gameplay the character can pick up prostitutes and pay for three different levels of service. What follows is an un-detailed portrayal of masturbation, fellatio and intercourse," which is much more than Rockstar ever attempted with sex in its games. Even though other sexual themed dialogs make an appearance the BBFC saw no "sexualized nudity" although GTA IV will feature "sexualized dancing and the portrayal of sex."

We expected violence to be a major part of the game. After all, what other means does an Eastern European immigrant have to make a name in the country of all opportunities? The BBFC seems puzzled by this, but they should know better. Anyway, a previously unknown "serrated knife" will be one of the weapons of choice for the player, while blood will "splatter" on the camera lens when someone gets killed.

Strong language is also a given for the series, but apparently GTA IV takes it to a whole new level. There will be a "stand up comedy routine" that features more swearing than a cab driver that was denied his charge and most of the "character development" cut scenes feature very strong language.

Apparently, the BBFC posted the info on its site unaware that the game would be launched on April 29. The policy is to post such information 10 days before the launch of the game, so the site should have all of the above and more on April 19.