Uh-oh, some concerned parent-or-other out there is thinking, another societal outrage from Rockstar, the makers of notorious Grand Theft Auto games, right? Another raunchy, blood-soaked, over-the-top, cop-killing, shock-for-shock's sake "murder simulator," right? Wrong, and wrong.

The most shocking thing about Bully, in fact, may be a toss-up between A) how restrained it actually is, given its paternity, and B) how freakishly right Rockstar nailed down the picture of just how wrong the high school/teen experience can be. And just how much fun it can be to deconstruct and re-engineer the whole curriculum.

Our hero is Jimmy. In parental parlance, a "troubled kid." He's been kicked out of yet another school and is hell-bound for Bullworth Academy, a dubious but ostensibly-respectable boarding school (goofy uniforms, venerable campus and all) specializing in exclusive cliques, bullies, blowhards and budding young psychopaths. Jimmy's a good enough guy under his give-a-crap exterior, and more than anything else, just wants to be left the heck alone, by everyone - by the knuckle-dragging jocks, the whining nerds, the sneering greasers and the snobby, insidious preps.

Rockstar has the collective will, skill and pull to have made this Columbine: The Game, had they so desired (and they probably could have gotten away with it), but the fact and point is, they didn't.

That said, in many ways this is familiar Rockstar territory, and they know their territory very well. A moment's gander at the gameplay will initially bring to mind follow-cam visions of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, but the similarities are mostly mechanical: Instead of pistols and automatic weapons, you've got the almost clichéd schoolyard-shenanigan armaments of slingshots and firecrackers (knocked up in chemistry class, of course); you won't take to the urban rooftops and brain-pan rival gangbangers with a sniper rifle, but you'll get almost the same brand of fun with a high tree branch, the aforementioned slingshot, and the no-neck oafs of the school football team. Instead of cars to be crashed or jacked, players make do with the likes of bikes and skateboards. No cars-a-rockin' with professional streetwalkers here (in the raunchy vein of Grand Theft Auto); indeed, you'll be doing well to get a hardly-past-platonic peck here and there from the girls on campus, for the "health-boost" it gives. In fact, it's a little disappointing that so little attention is given in the game to pursuit of the fairer sex in this regard - the incorporation of a full-on, Japanese-style girlfriend/dating aspect, amid all the antisocial, hormonal chaos, would have made Bully damn-near perfect. Although, to give Rockstar fair props, you can actually focus your attentions on certain Bullworth boys, should your inclination - and information - drift that way...

The GTA pedigree is in evidence in the mission-based structure of the game, the sprawling, real-world feel of the campus and surrounding environs, and the totally-rewarding level of detail embedded all over the place. The classes you're compelled to attend (on an accelerated clock) actually offer properly-themed mini-games (real word games for English, button-challenges in Chem to make stinkbombs, etc.). Dawdle between classes and Authority Figures will inevitably come hunting for you (along with every slope-browed, prognathus-jawed, hall-prowling A-hole bully). Side-challenges, quests and even setups are everywhere, actual "jobs" and functioning coin-op video-games are there for your enjoyment/necessity, and carny booths each have their own challenges and rewards. Would that every game-design house were beholden to what seems to be a Rockstar Commandment: Verily, Thou Shalt Interact.

In the face of such praise, however, it must be said that Bully veers away from perfection in at least one other dimension. Compared to the Fistful-of-Dollars-style vacillation between factions found in Grand Theft Auto, Bully is a relatively linear affair - but it will likely be a long, long time before that becomes evident. The smooth framerate, great audio work and general seamlessness of the experience make for a must-have game that's well worth the price.

Knee-jerk reactionaries, members of S.O.A.P (Senators On A Platform), and genuinely concerned parents all can actually relax a bit on this one. Bully is, really and truly, no worse than your average high school experience as seen in real life. If you're gonna pull 'em out of there, you might as well buy 'em Bully, a videogame that illustrates much of what they're missing.