Highly anticipated video game Grand Theft Auto (GTA) IV has received a string of near-perfect reviews ahead of its worldwide release.

The game is expected to break records for the fastest-selling game of all time and many shops opened their doors at midnight for gamers.

The game has been classified as 18 in the UK and Mature for US gamers.

US regulators have reminded parents that the title is not designed for children under 17 years old.

In the UK, 41 shops are understood to have put the game on sale at midnight, including outlets in Stevenage, Hertfordshire; Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire; Hammersmith, in west London; and Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent.

Reviews for Grand Theft Auto IV have been unanimous in their praise.

UK-based games website Eurogamer called it "game of the year" and handed it a 10 out of 10 review score, while the New York Times said it delivered a "new level of depth for an interactive entertainment experience".

In a joint statement the ESRB and the National Institute on Media and the Family urged parents to check ratings on games for their children.

It said: "With the latest instalment of the Grand Theft Auto series... parents need to be reminded to make sure their kids are playing games appropriate for their age and level of maturity.

"It is critical that parents consider the assigned rating carefully."

The GTA series has proved incredibly popular and almost equally controversial in the last few years.

Analysts predict the game, in which your character Nikko aims to survive the mean streets of a fictional New York, will top last year's record-breaking $300m first-week sales of first-person shooter Halo 3.

The game's launch has also been notable for the lack of marketing hype, with a limited series of TV spots and advertising hoardings.

"Rockstar wants to control the message all the time," Sam Kennedy, editorial director for gaming site 1UP.com, told AP news agency.

"They want this to be seen and perceived exactly the way they want. That's why, outside of the official trailers they released, people haven't seen a lot of gameplay footage in advance of GTA IV shipping.

"They want to build that hype."

Most reviewers were not sent advance copies of the game, and instead had to attend Rockstar offices or sit in booked hotel rooms to play the game.

More than 70 million copies of the franchise's titles have been sold worldwide but the series has also been criticised for glorifying violence.

In 2005 the developers Rockstar were criticised after hackers found a way to play a normally inaccessible sex "mini-game" inside the title Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The mini-game, dubbed Hot Coffee, was never designed to be played by gamers but was unlocked by hackers.

Controversy over Hot Coffee resulted in the title being re-rated in the US for adults only, and games being withdrawn from sale so that stickers with the new rating could be applied.