It’s been a long time coming, but Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has finally been released. Video game retailers across the globe have been swamped with customers, all trying to get their grubby little paws on Rockstar’s finest. The company has proved itself to still be the masters of marketing, creating the kind of buzz which has not been seen for some time. The title is easily the most anticipated game of the year as well as the hot favourite to be top of the Christmas charts. A plethora of GTA wannabes have been released since GTA 3 and Vice City, but all the pretenders have come and gone. What is funny about the direction of the game is that it follows one of it's competitors’ leads and sets up shop on the west coast. However, unlike True Crime: Streets of L.A, San Andreas oozes cool and captures the mood of the era. With influences like Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society and South Central, the latest GTA title is pure gangsta, with drive-bys and Doctor Dre fused into the experience. In fact the only thing that this game is lacking is crack babies crawling around on the side of the street!

GTA: San Andreas is the next step in the Grand Theft Auto franchise and marks an evolution in the gaming experience. Almost everything has changed, with the game featuring a new main character in another city. Move over Tommy Vercetti and welcome Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson! As such the GTA franchise loses the feel of the Sopranos and you’re far more likely to drink a forty than break open a bottle of Chianti. The game sees CJ return home after five years because of his mother’s murder. Ironically Carl left San Andreas to escape the pressures of the gangsta lifestyle, but the past has a horrible way of catching up with us. Johnson makes his way home for the funeral but is confronted with the fact that everything which he once cared for has fallen apart. Gang warfare has split the old neighbourhood and drugs have taken their toll on the community. Despite having put his past behind him, once he arrives home Carl finds himself stumbling back into his old lifestyle. Corrupt cops basically mug him on his arrival and his brother needs his help whether he likes it or not. What ensues is a tale of death, destruction and debauchery set across the bleak streets of San Andreas.

The second you start playing this game you realise that the latest Rockstar title is about a hundred times more complex than its predecessors. Not only is there a load of new weapons, cars and a huge new environment available, but the gaming experience itself has completely evolved. San Andreas has more in common with Fable than it does with Vice City. As the first few missions unfold the player is gradually introduced to all the upgrades in the series. It’s not enough to simply run around kicking the crap out of anyone you see anymore. In fact if you try mug a prostitute in the opening couple of seconds, you’ll be surprised to see her draw a gun and put a cap in your ass. Johnson has got to feed himself, put clothes on his back and pump some iron if he’s going to maintain his street cred. It means that the player will keep a close eye on the clock and develop a routine like daily chores in order to strive towards perfection. On top of that the surrounding environment is far more interactive than previous efforts; Johnson is able to diss or give props to NPCs and can learn how to break into houses. There’s a whole host of new shops like tattoo parlours, barbers and clothes shops which means that your character is fully customisable. It’s down to the player whether Johnson ends up looking like Tupac or The Notorious B.I.G.

In terms of character controls, GTA: San Andreas shows that Rockstar has taken consumer feedback on board and has tried to offer a lot more as a result. The first vehicle you can control is a bicycle and it’s a classic example of the immersive experience that is on offer. You can do wheelies just like in Vice City, but now your character can also perform bunny hops. The longer you hold the L1 button, the higher the bike will jump, which opens up a whole new trick book for eluding your opponents. Remember the way if Tommy Vercetti fell into a puddle of water he flapped his arms like a bird before submerging into a watery grave? Well now your character can swim so if you don’t mind getting your clothes wet, take a dip and explore the gaming environment in way you never thought possible. As a result San Andreas offers a far more mature approach to gaming, as the developers show a genuine interest in pushing the envelope forward. This stands in stark contrast to the GTA franchise’s competitors who merely hope to copy what is on offer and sell a few copies on the back of its success. This will ultimately lead to Rockstar’s continuing success because you can have genuine faith that the company will continue to include further advancements in its future titles.

The most impressive aspect of San Andreas is the character customisability and advancement on offer. Your interest is maintained throughout – you are constantly being challenged to improve. Simply put: the more you play, the more your stats and abilities get better. You’ll find yourself constantly tinkering with Johnson until he finally fits into the mould you have envisioned. I spent about half an hour in my first clothes shop trying on all bits and pieces; it’s like dress-up for adults. So put away your Barbie and Ken dolls and take Carl shopping where you can kit him out in all the latest threads. It doesn’t just stop there though; with one eye on your budget you’ll constantly be thinking of ways to improve your character. I’m currently saving up my cash so I can get Johnson’s hair braided and then he’ll truly be an OG in my eyes. It sounds idiotic but this is the level of thinking that you develop and before you know it, you’re completely engrossed in the title. This level of customisation adds to the addictive free-roaming qualities of the game and creates a new dimension to the gameplay in the process.

With a huge environment on offer it’s easy to get lost, but what’s most impressive about it all is the level of interactivity incorporated into the gameplay. Vice City hinted at what might be possible and San Andreas builds upon its good work. I’ve already mentioned all the shops that you can take advantage of, but there are also others aspects which have been developed, like breaking into houses. If you pick up a specific type of van to haul about your loot, then you can merrily rob houses late at night, supplementing your already dubious income. With the click of a button Johnson can hop fences and traverse the gaming environment in a way previously thought impossible. With this in mind Rockstar’s next stab at the GTA franchise could be a weird hybrid with Splinter Cell! The greater character movement is bolstered by more ways to interact with NPCs. You’ll put your new found fence climbing abilities into use by legging it away from people you’ve pissed off throughout your encounters. Another aspect of the brilliant gameplay is accidentally bumping into cars; sometimes the other driver will hop out of his vehicle and start taking pop shots at you. There’s a lot more to keep in mind now than just the police, as San Andreas’s citizens are far less likely to put up with any tomfoolery than any of the other instalments’ NPCs.

The real joy of the GTA franchise is its free-roaming capabilities and each of the titles in the series are easily the most addictive games I have ever played. San Andreas has built upon this offering one of the most immersive experiences ever which can literally see the player losing all track of time. Forget parental warnings, this game should have a big sticker on the front saying ‘May be responsible for the loss of your social life!’ It is worth stating now that once you put the disk into your PS2 tray give up any aspirations for passing your exams or that promotion because you’ll never see the light of day again. The freedom the title affords you is mind-boggling; you could literally play for hours on end without doing any of the missions. With so much to do San Amdreas’s life span makes the game worth every penny you paid for it. It’s so easy to slip in and out of the gameplay that you can toy with the title for whatever period of time you have available. That’s what makes the GTA experience stand out; it’s just so user friendly and offers the best value for money in the marketplace. So if you’re going to buy a loved one a game this Christmas, make sure Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is in his or her Xmas stocking (provided they’re eighteen years or older, of course!).

Rockstar titles are always polished affairs which boast fantastic soundtracks, and San Andreas is no exception in this respect. Whoever does the market research for their titles deserves some kind of award because they've got it spot on yet again. Obviously enough 2 Pac, Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg are some of the featured artists, but the soundtrack goes beyond the mainstream and includes tracks which most people wouldn’t have heard of. A great example of this is Ice Cube’s ‘Check Yo Self (The Message Remix)’ which is absolutely fantastic and has somehow managed to elude my listening habits for all these years. Needless to say all the record companies involved are going to profit from this mass exposure and royalty checks will peak over the next few months. The soundtrack is so enjoyable that there are times when you’ll be happy to just cruise the streets and nod your head to the beat. Better yet, mod your car with hydraulics so your car does all the bopping for you! If you’ve ever wished that your life could have a soundtrack then you’ll love San Andreas, who wouldn’t enjoy a drive by with ‘Today Was a Good Day’ blaring in the background?

San Andreas’s influences are no more evident than in the voice acting, characters like Ryder are easily identifiable as Easy-E or Dough Boy crossovers. It was somewhat surprising though that Young Maylay was chosen to voice Carl Johnson, especially in light of the fact that the title character shares the same initials with Curtis Jackson AKA 50 Cent. Overlooking this little glitch, the game boasts an all star cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Ice T, Chris Penn, Peter Fonda, James Woods and even Shaun Ryder. Seeing as everyone hypes up the Hollywood influence in these games, if you really want to see what effort Rockstar put into the game then just scan through the amount of extras involved. There are easily almost five hundred individuals involved with lending their voices for all the various gangsters, pedestrians, radio callers and commercials involved. The twisted sense of humour that flows through all the GTA titles steps up a notch and the radio advertisements are a welcome filler between songs. My personal favourite has to be the anti-smoking one which wants to see the law changed so that honest citizens can hunt down and kill smokers. This satire is all the more delightful as it stands in the face of today’s political rhetoric and is highly reminiscent of Bill Hicks or Chris Rock’s logic.

Unfortunately there are a few drawbacks in this title, namely the graphics and the loading times. The PS2 is reaching the end of its shelf life and no matter how many times Sony tries to repackage it, the machine’s flaws are slowly beginning to show. On the other hand Xbox titles seem to constantly improve and if the Chronicles of Riddick are anything to go by, Microsoft’s big black box really puts the market leader to shame. The cut scenes don’t seem to have changed much since GTA 3 and you can’t help but squirm at some of the modelling involved. Character hands are an eyesore; they look like G.I. Joe toys whose fingers seem to have been designed with beer drinking or masturbation in mind. Unless everyone in the game is a chronic arthritis sufferer then there is no excuse for the rather static modelling involved. If anything the animation highlights the drawbacks of the technology involved, so here’s hoping for a brand new look for the next generation release in the franchise. Loading times also figure in the PS2’s limitations, I never realised they were this bad. I’m happy to wait for the game to load but having experienced the speed of the Xbox you can’t help but develop that sensation of being stuck in traffic. The end of the street is in sight but here you are sitting on your butt waiting, knowing that you could get out and walk in a much faster time. Sure the graphics and loading times have improved since Vice City but they pale in comparison to the advances made in the gameplay.

Some things in life are consistent and one of them is the GTA franchise. After all the hype, the game has managed to live up to its billing, and will go down as one of the greatest PS2 games of all time. I know everyone is saying it, but Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas really is absolutely amazing. Sure, it does have some drawbacks, but they are few and far between and won’t impede on your enjoyment of the game. San Andreas improves upon the advances made in Vice City and the entire GE team can’t wait until the PS3 is finally released so we can see another instalment in the series. Judging by the demand for the game it’s going to be pretty tough to get your hands on a copy over the next few weeks, so it’ll be worth calling in any favours you’re owed to buy it. If you own a PS2 then you must have a copy of GTA: San Andreas in your games collection. Yes, it sounds like a crude sales pitch, but you really would be missing out on something special. Needless to say I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for falling off the radar over the coming weeks because I’ll be too glued to GTA: SA to even care about the real world.

With Bush and Kerry dominating the media these days, do yourself a favour and put your TV to some good use, because this game is one great reason not to vote. Sure - your voice may make a difference, but the time you spend travelling to the polling station is a missed opportunity to play more GTA. Ever the kings of controversy, a slightly altered quote from Menace II Society sums up Rockstar’s latest instalment in the GTA series – Carl Johnson is America’s nightmare. Young, black and doesn’t give a f...