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Retailers have been threatened with thumbscrews if they dare break the game's street date of April 29, even under intense pressure from gamers desperate to get their hands on what is sure to be the game of the year. So far, all have publicly avoided getting into trouble - but someone, somewhere, has been very naughty indeed.

Cracking group 'Icon' has taken credit for leaking the full 6.32GB disk image of the Xbox 360 version to Bittorrent. This is the PAL version - indicating that it's come from a UK or Australian source - and does appear to be the legit thing. The release notes for the game suggest that eager gamers don't play the game whilst connected to Xbox Live, to avoid the Volish authorities from picking up on the outrage and banning their British butts.

Word on the street is that this is a toned down Australian version, so if you really want to chainsaw hookers' faces off, you'll have to buy the real thing when it comes out.

Reports are also hitting the intertubes that an NTSC version of the game has shown up courtesy of '101'.

The leak has led to a flood of GTA4 video being posted online, with various online video sites hosting gameplay footage, the introductory trailer, and the inevitable deluge of cool stunts and glitches.

You can check out a photo of the torrent's .nfo file here and some video here. µ