VIOLENT video games are banned from Bolton Library -- and stores in the town are having a rethink about the titles they sell.

The library, which loans games for the PlayStation 2 console to its members, refuses to stock 18-rated games.

Following controversy over Manhunt, an 18-rated game for the PlayStation 2 blamed for the murder of a teenager, shops across the town are taking it from their shelves.

In Bolton, the game has been taken off sale in Comet, Dixons, PC World and Game.

A spokesman for Bolton Library said: "We only stock games which can be played by users of all ages."

But it is still on sale in WH Smith, Woolworths, HMV and GameStation. All of the shops continue to sell other 18-rated games such as the smash hits Grand Theft Auto 3 and The Getaway although a re-think could be on the cards in the wake of a nationwide outcry over the sale of such titles. Over the last two days, a drive to prevent violent videogames from going on sale has begun after the parents of a schoolboy murdered by his older friend blamed the Manhunt for their son's death.

Warren Leblanc, 17, of Braunstone Frith, Leicester, pleaded guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Warren Pakeerah in February this year.

Leblanc had savagely beaten his victim with a claw hammer and stabbed him repeatedly after luring him to a local park. The nature of the killing was similar to one acted out in the game, which Leblanc had been obsessed with.

In Manhunt, the player takes on the role of a convicted killer on death row, who has to kill everyone he meets to avoid execution, using a range of weapons including knives, baseball bats and a plastic bag.

A spokeswoman for Game, on Newport Street, said: "It's now not available in our stores. We have taken it off our shelves as a mark of respect."

She could not confirm if the product would be off Game's shelves permanently.

The Dixons Group released a statement about the withdrawal of Manhunt, saying: "We believe that immediate withdrawal of the game is the appropriate step in the circumstances. We are doing so in consultation with the manufacturer."

But a spokesman for HMV, on Exchange Street, said the store had no plans to withdraw the game. He said: "The game has been given an 18 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification. We are trying to make sure no-one under that age buys it."

"We are trying doubly hard to enforce this in light of recent events.

"We do not promote or advertise the game, but as a retailer it is not our decision to tell consumers what they should or should not buy. The public has their own choice in these matters."

A spokesman for WH Smith said that the 18 classification on the game meant that it would not be sold to minors.

She added: "We have a system in place where a message flashes up on the till to tell staff to check the age of the customer when they try to buy 18-rated material.

"We won't be taking it off sale, as there are other adult customers who still wish to purchase this product."

Videogames, which were originally aimed at children, have since become more sophisticated and sell for around £40. Games which are 18-rated are now more commonplace, with the average age of gamers now being 25.