The Nintendo Wii version of the popular college drinking game Beer Pong has received a "T" rating -- meaning it is suitable for children over age 13 -- prompting criticism from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Associated Press reported July 8.

Blumenthal chided the Entertainment Software Rating Board for its rating of the JV Games Inc. product, which was recently renamed from "Beer Pong" to "Pong Toss" under pressure from Blumenthal and others. Company officials also said they had revised the game to remove all references to alcohol.

Beer pong is a highly popular college drinking game but also has been faulted for facilitating binge drinking.

"We stopped this game, but that is only a minor victory if it is followed by others," said Blumenthal, referring to JV Games' plans to release other "Frat Party Games."

Blumenthal said that the name of the game clearly refers to drinking and that packaging and graphics include images of mugs and kegs of beer. "The whole basis for the games is heavy alcohol consumption -- simply not appropriate for teenagers and deserving more consideration by the Board," Blumenthal wrote to the software rating panel.

Entertainment Software Rating Board President Patricia E. Vance said the "T" rating for the original Beer Pong game was appropriate, contending that alcohol played a minimal role in the game and drinking was not depicted. "Despite being premised on a drinking game, the game's content involves essentially nothing more than tossing Ping-Pong balls into plastic cups," Vance wrote in a letter to Blumenthal. "We are thus unsure of the basis for the statement in your letter suggesting that this content 'glorifies alcohol abuse and binge drinking.'"