SCHOOL pupils have taken their campaign for a computer game to be banned to the House of Commons.

Children from Lethbridge Primary School took their concerns over the game - known to many players as Bully - to Parliament after being made aware of the game during anti-bullying week.

Bully, which has the official name of Canis Canem Edit - Latin for dog eat dog - was controversially launched under a 15 certificate last October.

Some stores decided not to stock it, including Currys, but pupils at Lethbridge became aware that the Swindon branch of HMV was selling it.

Despite each Year 6 class member writing a letter to the manager of HMV in Swindon and delivering them by hand, no response was received by the school.

The pupils said that to play the game you take on a character then beat up others who appear different to you, either through their weight, height or shirt colour, among other things.

Pupils Lewis Todd, Didem Gormus, Kaan Fidan and Megan Bryan, all 11, visited the House of Commons, after South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove received letters from the school about the game.

They met MP Shaun Woodward, Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism, and the pupils travelled first class by train to the capital, thanks to First Great Western.

Megan said: "Changing the name doesn't change the game itself.

"The MP said he couldn't ban it, but that he would talk to the ratings people and said that he didn't understand how it got through so easily."

Didem said: "It's good to have certificates, but they don't ask an adult in the shops if they are buying it for a younger person.

"In the game, people are being bullied for being plumper, or shorter or wearing glasses."

Kaan said: "In the game the school's called Bullsworth which I think is stupid because it's a bit like bully.

"To get up the rankings you have to beat people up, and you would want to finish the game."

Teacher Dawn Hayward said she was very pleased with the children's meeting.

"They have made a difference, just not in the way I thought they would in writing to HMV," she said.

"We did think the store might consider it, or that they would write back which they didn't, but they made a difference in another way."

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said the game was meant to empathise with the victims of bullying in showing them fighting back.

He also said that the company had never banned a game in order to maintain its customers' free choice, but that controversial games such as Canis Canem Edit are not usually promoted in store, meaning customers would have to search for them.