Five years earlier, one Carl Johnson escaped the rough neighbourhoods of San Andreas for a better life, but now things have changed. He has lost a brother, his mother has been murdered and his family and friends have fallen to the pressures of the neighbours.

The 'hood CJ once grew up in is now being taken over by the Ballas and as each day goes by their stranglehold is getting stronger. CJ has now returned to San Andreas and sets off on a journey to reclaim his turf.

CJ starts off carrying out simple tasks from tagging over rival tags, to drive-bys and beatdowns. It is almost like a take from classic films like Colors, Boyz in da Hood and New Jack City.

GTA San Andreas sees you rolling down the streets in low riders listening to beats such as 2Pac, NWA and Cypress Hill. You have 12 radio stations to choose from, each having its own compilation of '90s hits. If you were into the hip hop scene in the '90s then you will like the beats that this game lays down. The Los Santos radio station plays hip hop artists like DRE, NWA and 2Pac. This music gives you more of a feel for the game and provides that little bit extra when carrying out drivebys or simply rolling down the streets.

Like its processors, San Andreas is not for the faint-hearted, parody or not. It carries on the tradition of outrageous violence from smacking people upside the head or knocking them down and stomping on them. A variety of weapons can also be used to carry out a hit. These weapons include the simple brass knuckles to the old school Vulcan gun, made famous by Al Capone movies. CJ's combat abilities are very similar to previous versions of GTA, although his one-two punch and ability to use weapons seem to be more effective and/or more accurate. Part of this is due to the ease of use of the Xbox controller.

Although we do not condone violence, carjacking is one of the more enjoyable parts of the game. San Andreas features vehicles similar to classic cars such as the '89 Ford mustang (Buffalo) or '76 Lincoln Mk 4 (Remington) - just some of the great low-riders you can 'jack.

In San Andreas you will find that tasks are of the same complexity as previous games in the series, but due to the large scale in which the city is based, you find yourself spending more time trying to get around. This game has by far the biggest city to cover compared to earlier GTAs. With such a large playing space you have more of an opportunity to enjoy the diversity that this game has to offer. The large city size does, as usual, come at the expense of the graphics. However, this is made up for by the abundant action and fun across the wider play area.

Remember little homies, this is an R18 game but for all you legit players, get rolling and start earning some respect. You need to gain a lot to get through this game so work out at the gym, earn some dough to get haircuts, tattoos (there are some pearlers in this one) and new clothes (go green). Remember - the more respect you earn, the bigger your crew will get and ultimately this will help you beat down rival gangs. Happy hunting.