A computer game in which a player acts as a sniper on the streets of Limerick should be removed from the internet, the Mayor of Limerick has urged.
Pledging to do everything possible to have the game removed, Cllr Joe Leddin conceded, however, that it might be difficult to have it erased completely from the worldwide web.
The sniper game, which has led to widespread protests in Limerick, allows players to take shots at a series of matchstick targets set against the city's backdrop.
Players receive points for shooting targets, which pop up at different locations in Limerick, and double points are awarded for shots to the head.
The game's designer, Texas high-school student Chris Alvares (16), has agreed to remove the game following criticism from many people in Limerick.
He apologised for any offence caused before he pulled the game from www.addictinggames.com. However, the game has since reappeared on several other sites.
Mr Leddin said yesterday that he was very concerned about the negative image of Limerick portrayed in the game.
"I'm going to try to initiate contact to have the game removed from the particular websites but it's quite difficult trying to contact the relevant authorities.
"Any negativity in relation to images of our city on the internet is something that I'm particularly concerned at," he added, "and I will continue to try to work to have this image of the city removed from the web."
Alvares said he was completely taken aback at the controversy caused by his computer game. He said he had never even heard of Limerick and innocently chose it as the backdrop for the game after getting a series of random images of the city on the Google search engine.
He said he was unaware of recent violent incidents in the city and was unfamiliar with the activities of feuding criminal gangs in Limerick.
Independent city Cllr John Gilligan also joined in the criticism of the game and said the internet was fundamentally lawless.
Mr Gilligan said if somebody in the United States put up an internet game taking shots at schoolchildren in the US, they would be jailed.