Here's a game that will get you going, writes STEPHEN FENECH

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV

IT’S hard to pigeonhole Grand Theft Auto IV into a single genre.

It is part shooter, part action, part driving game and part simulation.

Yet this highly anticipated new title is more than the sum of its parts.

The detail and level of interactivity has to be seen to be appreciated.

Players assume the guise of Niko Bellic, an illegal immigrant who has just stepped off a container ship in Liberty City to be met by his cousin Roman, who has promised the wealth and women in the land of the free.

Niko soon realises the reality of the situation is that Roman has debts to pay, lives in a dump and drives a taxi.

For the first few minutes the player doesn’t even have to touch the controller as the movie-like game begins.

When the game switched to player mode we were already drawn into the story and had to snap out of it to drive Niko to Roman’s apartment.

Grand Theft Auto IV has an involved yet non-linear story set in Liberty City; a virtual copy of New York’s five boroughs complete with the Statue of Happiness which bears a startling resemblance to a certain NY landmark.

Liberty City, thanks to the processing power of the next-generation consoles it runs on, feels like you’re in a living, breathing city.

But apart from looking great, Liberty City is also populated by some interesting characters.

There are several main characters Niko will cross paths with and each of these come alive with excellent voice acting.

Because of the open world nature of the game it is possible to choose your own path in the story line so the various missions presented to Niko can be completed using two new additions: mobile phone and GPS.

The mobile lets Niko contact any of the other characters and, of course, they can contact him, including a female character who asks Niko out on a date early in the game.

The GPS system not only helps Niko find his way around Liberty City but also acts as a police scanner.

Getting around Liberty City requires a car and, being called Grand Theft Auto should alert the player that any car can be yours at the press of a button, even if it is locked by the side of the road.

Controls for driving cars are pretty fluid and it makes it easy enough to execute crazy U-turns and take corners at high speed. 

One thing that comes in handy is Niko’s military background.

It means that, in a jam, he can hold his own.

Niko has the ability to take cover behind objects and even scale walls and fences that afford him a foothold.

Much has been said about the violence in Grand Theft Auto IV.

The weapons, which have been cut back from previous GTA versions, and the violence is no worse than what we’ve seen in other MA15+ games. 

It seems more visceral in Grand Theft Auto IV because it tries to base it in a real setting instead of some far-off planet or war zone.

But that’s not to say children should play this game.

Definitely not.

No responsible parent would let a child watch Pulp Fiction or allow them to play with knives so GTA IV should be played by adults only.

It will take about 40 hours to get from the start of the story to the end and that’s only when you stick to your missions. 

There are so many hidden gems in the game to be uncovered and this can literally take you hours to explore.

Grand Theft Auto IV is the sort of game you could play for months.

It is available on PS3 and Xbox 360 and is rated five stars.

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