Smash hit

"Games like this poison the minds of young people and we urge people to boycott it."

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: "Fundamentalists on both the Christian and the Muslim side are creating this kind of nasty, extreme propaganda and aiming it at young people.

"Parents need to be on their guard. I'm not into banning things or censoring them, but I think most Muslims and most Christians would recognise that this is crude and despicable hate-mongering and give it a wide berth. It is up to parents to ensure that their children are not exposed to this loathsome trash."

Anti-Racist campaigner John Hutson, who has written a number of books on bridging the faith divide, fears the game will foster prejudice and should have never been given a certificate for release in the UK.

He said: "This game is the most dangerous and horrific ever to be produced.

"In the game you are armed with a selection of military weapons and set the task of converting Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists to fundamental Christianity.

"If you fail to convert other religions you are forced to take them out with extreme prejudice.

"It is a violent, racist game which should never have been released."

Creators Left Behind Games have dismissed the criticism, saying the religious storyline in the game is not taken from the bible and is a creation of the Left Behind authors which should not be taken seriously.

Troy A. Lyndon, Left Behind Games Chief Executive, said: "The game is designed to be a classic battle between good and evil.

"We have deliberately censored the blood and it does not gratuitously depict death or violence.

"Left Behind is not taken from the Bible, it is a fictional story.

"In the initial missions, there is little emphasis on physical warfare and gamers are introduced to powers of influence which result in a battle for the hearts and minds of people."

The game was released in the US on September 9 and was released in the UK on November 14.

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