Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo filed a lawsuit this week against Rockstar Games and Take-Two Entertainment, the companies behind the controversial best selling video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Delgadillo is suing the firms for allegedly engaging in unfair business practices, a claim which emerged during a media storm in the summer of last year when it was claimed that hardcore pornographic material had been hidden in PC versions of the game.

A modification called 'Hot Coffee', created by Dutchman Patrick Wildenborg, surfaced on the internet in July, which allegedly unlocked a mini-game allowing players to view explicit sexual acts.

Wildenborg claimed that the modification added nothing illegal to the game and merely allowed users to see what was already written into the code and subsequently hidden by the developers.

An investigation led to the game being given an 'adult' classification, but only after more than 12 million copies had been sold. Retail sales were estimated at $600m.

Released in October 2004, GTA: San Andreas quickly became the year's best selling title, and one of the most controversial games of all time. The game involves murder, drug running, prostitution and robbery.

"Greed and deception are part of the GTA: San Andreas story, and in that respect its publishers are not that much different from the characters in their story," said Delgadillo.

"Businesses have an obligation to truthfully disclose the content of their products, whether in the food we eat or the entertainment we consume."