Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PC, R18)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas captures the early-90s West Coast feel but is full of gratuitous violence.

Herald rating: * * * * *

If every video game had as much creativity and cash put into it as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas obviously has, the film and TV industries would have a real battle for our attention on their hands.

You may not agree with the gratuitous violence, the profanity and glorification of gang culture, but you have to agree that San Andreas is cleverly made. After a few hours playing it, you will think you are living in South Los Angeles.

PC and Xbox-users have had to wait six months longer than PlayStation 2 devotees to take to the streets of Los Santos, San Andreas. For the PC geeks, it has been worth the wait. San Andreas looks fantastic on a fast PC, which you will definitely need to support the game's heavy-duty graphics requirements.

Everything about San Andreas captures that early 90s, West Coast feel, from the Tupac and Soundgarden songs blaring on the game's soundtrack to the Boys N the Hood gangsters and their curb-crawling rides. This is a time before Hummers clogged the freeway and the famous gangster rappers were gunned down.

The story starts with the protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson arriving back in Los Santos after learning his mother has been murdered. A couple of corrupt cops pick him up and dump him on the wrong side of town in a neighbourhood crawling with gangsters.

CJ must revert to his old ways to survive, bring the gang back together and restore pride to Grove St, the base of the old gang.

Before long he has been enlisted for a series of tasks. They start out mundane - driving gang accomplices around town and beating up drug dealers - but progress to drive-by shootings, mob boss murders and a difficult casino heist.

In between missions the game has that free flow that lets you explore the vast world of San Andreas in a stolen car, tractor or whatever else you can find.

You start out in Los Santos, a condensed Los Angeles, but as you progress, the neighbouring cities of San Fierro and Las Venturas open up.

They are based on San Francisco and Las Vegas respectively.

The landscape, which changes from run-down ghettos and inner-city office blocks to dusty townships as you reach the city limits, looks great at the high resolution the PC allows. Rain, fog, lightning and the transition between night and day add atmosphere.

Vigilante rides in police cars, fire engines and ambulances act as fun side missions, helping you to earn some cash. And other diversions include joy-riding in a stolen speedboat to taking a light plane or helicopter for a ride.

Shades of another great game, The Sims, have been added. CJ needs to eat every now and then to keep up his strength and work out to stop him getting fat. His influence over other gang members also ebbs and flows and there is even a romance element, with CJ able to go on dates.

The sound effects merge seamlessly as you drive around the city and the DJ banter on the radio stations is a highlight - short servings of satire that poke fun at American culture.

The dialogue is realistic, sometimes hilarious and always well-voiced.

The controls on the PC are fairly straightforward, with keys or the mouse controlling your perspective and direction.

If you have been glued to a gaming controller for months it will take some getting used to. Shooting, in particular, is haphazard until you master the keyboard and mouse combination

San Andreas comes only on DVD so make sure your computer has a DVD player. The game will limp along on a Pentium III but Rockstar recommends a Pentium 4, 128MB video card and 4.7GB of hard drive space. A nice manual, laid out as a visitors' guide to San Andreas accompanies the game.

CJ's various enemies are mean adversaries and the game is hard work.

But it will provide the most fun you can have on your PC without going near the internet.* $100