Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is both bigger and better… its got quality and quantity, not to mention that there is so much of the proverbial cake here you could scoff your face and come back for seconds, or even thirds. Oh, and there isn't a single cat or dog in sight. No, not even a stray one… (Ed: Have all our article authors gone crazy!? Maybe... )

Gameplay
So, you might ask, what is so great about San Andreas, the third 3D incarnation of the GTA series that makes it defy age old wisdom. Well, you see, not much has really changed. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, it just takes everything a bit further. You still follow a life of crime working your way up through various levels of criminal genius. The free form gameplay is still present and correct. You can run around (or drive if you are feeling lazy) massacring innocent pedestrians to satisfy any hidden psychotic urges - where are those stray dogs when you need them!? Cruise around from place to place, in the plethora of road, air, or sea transportation available, 'grooving' to the inevitably excellent sound track. Or alternatively, you can undertake the numerous missions, focused around a well developed and engrossing storyline (if a little cliché ridden). Variety is the spice of life as the saying goes.

But, beneath this familiar exterior, San Andreas offers much, much more. You see, I'm not really a fan of your average driving game, I guess I just don't see the point in endlessly driving around in circles and I must admit, that with the exception of 'Mafia' (another excellent game, try it if you haven't already) the GTA games are the only 'driving' games I own. I use the term 'driving game' loosely when it comes to San Andreas, because it is so much more than that. As a veteran of FPS and RPG's I am after a level of absorption within the game world, and a degree of complexity, all combined within a good old yarn. I have to say, that San Andreas satisfies all of these needs.