THIS is the story of a boy whose parents were murdered by the mafia forcing him into an underground existence but he's all grown up now and that means bad news, very bad news, for the criminal fraternity.

Well, fans of the Marvel comic will instantly recognise the storyline and identify our anti-hero as the Punisher, who is the latest superhero type to receive the video game treatment.

But be warned, taking control of the world's most hardcore vigilante should carry a public health warning as developer, THQ's very own Volition Inc, has thrown caution to the wind and completely abandoned any semblance of political correctness.

This is the most violent game I have ever seen. Following a rather general story the Punisher takes on all sorts of bad guys in all sorts of locations like the docks, an auto-repair workshop and warehouses aplenty which provide countless means to deliver the coup de grace to your enemies.

On each level there are a few punished icons scattered around the place so if you see a villain with a skull above his head be careful not to kill him (yet) as he possesses some vital information.

If you can kill everyone around him then grab the unfortunate soon-to-be-going-to-Hell bad guy and drag him to a stationary skull icon nearby and let the punisher do what he does best - interrogate the crim before executing him.

This allows you to use drills, bench saws, windows and even long drops into the ocean or on to the pavement as a means to terrify your captive into spilling his guts before you literally spill his guts.

But when you get to the zoo things take a far more sinister turn as animals now take the place of power tools giving you the chance to drop a guy face first into a tank of piranhas or even have a rhino stick his horn in a place I'd rather not describe. Thankfully all of these distasteful moments are shown in black and white.

All gore aside the game actually plays quite well and has similarities to Max Payne in its third-person perspective and, just in case you thought Volition had abandoned all reason, there is a points scoring system which penalises unnecessary acts of brutality but this is a bit like closing the stable door after the machinegun-toting, combat knife-slashing horse has bolted.

Although gameplay is a but repetitive it's a very playable game which could have you coming back for more if you've the stomach for it.

If you like your games ultra-violent than the Punisher is for you because, let's face it, this guy makes Tony Montana (Scarface) look like a fairy.

Overall 3.5/5