

If you're using a joypad,the auto-aiming systemtends to lock on to the nearest person, rather than the nearest threat. The rest of the action still revolves around shooting or beating folks, and thisis a little less enjoyable. Any vehicle you see can be taken for a joyride, and thanks to GTA's mix of tongue-in-cheek mayhem and fine-tuned controls (when driving, at least), this is a hell of a lot of fun even when cops are chasing you around town (and they will, the second they see you doing something illegal). Until then, the gameplay is classic GTA, which means players are generally free to do as they please in a big, open 3-D world. It's all supported by an epic, misison-basedstoryline thattakes CJ and friends from fighting lowly turf battles to pulling jobs for the CIA to planning a massivecasino heist.And then, as the game winds down, they'llfinally go gun-to-gun with the people behind CJ's misfortunes. As former gangsta Carl "CJ" Johnson, you'll explore the massive, fictional state of San Andreas, a California/Nevada hybrid complete with analogues of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, with miles of countryside andsmall towns in between. Giving players three full-sized cities to go nuts in, San Andreas is the biggest chapter in the urbancar-crime series, as well as one of the most convincing virtual worlds ever created.
