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The GTA series premieres on PS2 in one of the machine's most spectacular games.

Finally, a whole year after the Playstation 2's U.S. launch, we are seeing some amazing software. Gran Turismo 3 started it all, and now it's a proverbial avalanche of killer-apps, flooding store shelves. Silent Hill 2, ICO, Devil May Cry, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 are all must-have titles in their own right, but with that said, I've had the most pure, unadulterated fun with Grand Theft Auto than any other title this year. DMA Designs and Rockstar Games have outdone themselves.

The reason why I love Rockstar Games so much is because it seems to me, as a fan, that they pour their heart and soul into their games. Rockstar's unique style and humor has never shined more brightly than in Grand Theft Auto 3. Everything from the packaging, to the music, to the opening credits, to the game's nine radio stations are top-notch and ooze with style. GTA3 is packed with three hours of music with your choice of reggae, rap, opera, pop, disco, classic, or talk radio. All of them have commercials, DJs, and hilarious promos- top notch.

The classic pancake view is still available, and it's very cool to see it back for nostalgia's sake, but the new behind the car/character camera is a vast improvement. There's also an added in-car camera for those of you freaks that like that sort of thing.

"Okay, I've already heard all about the awesome cinematics, but what makes the game so fun?" There's no one universal answer to what makes GTA3 so fun. The player may find himself spending their first few weeks with the game just wandering around Liberty City, completely ignoring mission objectives. Any of the 70 plus vehicles littering the city can be jacked, any passing pedestrian beaten to a bloody pulp. Got busted by the cops, and looking to get your bail money back? Pull out your piece and jump the nearby pimp on the corner! It's is a dark, often humorous romp through the world of organized crime.

From then on it's up to you to work your way up in the crime world by completing missions. These range from simple drop offs, to hits, to more complicated missions that have the player completing multiple objectives. For example, in one mission you must track down a van making its runs around Liberty City, trash it, and then take it to the spray shop for a repair and a new paint job. Mind you, you're naughty deeds won't go unnoticed. The Law is always patrolling the city, looking for trouble?

Depending on the severity of the crimes the po-po has caught you committing you will have a certain number of stars fill on your wanted meter. Jump a pedestrian, or carjack a cabby near the police station and one star will fill. Wreck a police vehicle, or kill an officer, and you're wanted level will rise. This is when things start getting really good. If you flee from the police long enough, they'll call out Swat teams, Helicopters, and when you're wanted level reaches the max of six, the freaking Army, complete with tanks. The police A.I. is excellent. Police cars will ram into you fearlessly while officers on foot will fire at your tires. Heart-pounding police chases that seem to be taken right out of movies are the rule, not the exception.

Control is spot-on for the most part. Each of the many different vehicles has their own type of handling and speed. Sports cars, vans, SUVs, pickups, big-rigs, fire trucks, ambulances, buses, boats, and even ice cream trucks are just some of the many. Some problems arise when locking on to a target with a weapon (Eleven in all). It's no problem from long range, but it's a real pain trying to lock on to a target from close range. After some practice the problem can be remedied, but you completely miss your target far too often when firing at close range.

There's no reason not to run out and buy Grand Theft Auto 3 as soon as possible. The cinematic presentation, flawless sound, sprawling cities, and great mission variety make it one of the year's best. With well over 80 missions, there's a good 70 hours of gameplay packed into this hard-edged masterpiece. You'll love every minute of it. Rockstar has changed the way I look at videogames.