Preview : Bully

You've got to hand it to Rockstar Games. They know what the kids want. Taking a brief break from Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar courted controversy once again with their mischief-inducing high-school fun-fest Bully. I was very disappointed when I learned that this was only coming out on the Playstation, but good news everyone! Bully will be released on the 360 next month.

For those of us who wouldn't know a PS3 from PCP and thus haven't played this game, here's a look at what we can look forward to.

The Setting: Bully is set in a modest New England town, at the centre of which is Bullworth Academy. Don't expect the same sort of immense scale as San Andreas, but do expect the same kind of flair, humour and attention to detail that is so typical of Rockstar. The town has everything from hilltop mansions to neighbourhood slums, and it shouldn't take too long for you to get to know your way around. And on a next-gen console, it ought to look pretty sweet.

The Characters: In the game you play young Jimmy Hopkins, who gets dropped off at the academy by his parents, the latest in a long line of boarding schools which have failed to break the childs free-roaming spirit. Occupying the school you of course get the usual cliques of nerds, preps, jocks and greasers, as well as the most inept teaching staff you'll find this side of Hogwarts. The people of Bullworth town are equally as diverse and interesting, such as a crazy homeless man who lives at the back of the bus and teaches Jimmy some new fightin' moves.

Gameplay: Expect variety. With the limitation of not wanting to arm Jimmy with the usual armory of shotguns, grenade launchers and the like (even Rockstar won't go there), the creators have pulled out all the stops in order to craft a combat system that has everything from slingshots and stink bombs to a good old fashioned punch-up. This apparently makes for a huge amount of variety in playing through the missions themselves.

Freeform: From the sounds of it, Bully has about the same level of open-world gameplay as GTA. There are lots of missions to explore, errands to run, and ways to improve your character. For instance, what kind of school would Bullworth Academy be without classes? Attending class is entirely optional (funny, I had the same attitude when I was at high school ...), but by doing so you can learn new skills and items. Jimmy himself is also customisable, and changing his appearance and clothing with influence how people react to him, particularly the different cliques that occupy Bullworth Academy.

Whatever would we all do without Rockstar?

Sit around all day playing Oblivion, I guess ...