Call of Duty: Black Ops

Players use rifles, emplaced guns, explosives, and other weapons to kill their enemies. Dark red splashes appear when enemies are shot and the screen's edges go red with blood stains when the player's character takes damage. Limbs are occasionally blown off. Players can also stab their enemies in melee combat. In a couple of cases players have the option of slitting the throats of enemies while they sleep in their bunks. An interrogation scene midway through the game sees the player stuffing a victim's mouth with glass and then pulling one of the controller's triggers to punch him in the face, causing his mouth to turn red. Screams and moans of pain are heard throughout the game.

Protagonists cuss throughout. Expect plenty of profane words, including "f--k" and "s--t".

Several scenes -- both computer-rendered and live-action footage -- show characters smoking cigarettes. Also, the game's primary protagonist recounts his story while under the influence of interrogation drugs.

Parents need to know that Call of Duty: Black Ops is a very violent military-themed first person shooter in which players use a wide variety of weapons and explosives to kill hundreds of enemies in the campaign and countless more human-controlled avatars online. It features violent interrogations, graphic melee combat, and lots of blood. The visceral nature of the action combined with its complex Cold War narrative leave little doubt that it was designed for an adult audience. It is not appropriate for children. Note, too, the online portion of the game supports open voice chat, a feature that Common Sense Media does not recommend for pre-teens. Kids may be talking about this M-rated game because of the ad campaign, which features Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel holding guns and pretending to play the game.