Rockstar Games, the publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, said it's bringing Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars to the iPhone and iPod touch. Rockstar also announced its Beaterator is coming to the Apple devices.

"Chinatown Wars is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch," said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. "We are very excited to bring this incredibly ambitious version of Liberty City, with this level of detail and immersive game play, on Apple's new gaming platforms."

Grand Violence

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father. Players navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a trademark of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

Already available for the Nintendo DS, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is also coming this fall for Sony's PlayStation Portable. But Nintendo and Sony will have to compete with Apple for gamers who want the franchise on a portable device -- if the device makes it onto the handset.

According to Mike Disabato, a senior analyst at the Burton Group, Rockstar can develop and submit Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, but Apple can still ban the game from its platform. If Apple doesn't like the way Rockstar has implemented it, he said, Apple may not approve the app.

In Human Hands

"If the Grand Theft Auto developers have an interface that's bad or if they try to slip a fast one in like they did in one version of the game that showed what I'd consider to be X-rated sex in the thing -- and Apple finds it -- they'll block it," Disabato said.

Apple has rejected several apps, including Eucalyptus, a book reader that taps into the Gutenberg project to offer free digital content. Apple rejected the app initially because it offered access to the Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian text considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature. The text discusses sexual positions and acts.

"Whether or not Apple accepts Grand Theft Auto is also going to depend on the reviewer," Disabato said. "If they send it off to a reviewer who doesn't like violent games, they'll reject it out of hand because they don't like violet games."

A Music-Maker

Beyond Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, music fans may enjoy Beaterator, a portable music-making application that lets consumers create world-class beats and songs. Beaterator features thousands of loops and sounds and lets people make professional-sounding music in an accessible format.

"The simple, pick-up-and-play nature of Beaterator lends itself so well to the Apple platforms," Houser said. "We are happy to deliver an application that allows for such unprecedented sharing and ease of use."