The year is 1930 and the US city of Lost Heaven is about to become a cesspit of vice, car chases and bloody shootouts as rival Dons Salieri and Morello sort out their family problems on a city-wide scale. Caught in the crossfire is cabbie Tommy Angelo. Forced to drive Salieri's men away from a run-in with the enemy, Tommy becomes a target for Morello revenge and has little option but to seek sanctuary with Salieri's mob. Initially happy to make some big bucks in the midst of the Depression, Tommy eventually becomes disillusioned with the underworld of organised crime and starts looking for a way out...

This cinematic premise brings to mind any number of classic gangster movies and by wearing its influences on its sleeve, and in relying on a gripping narrative to draw you in, Mafia manages to stand out from the mob of GTA clones flooding the market. Actually, The Getaway is the best comparison here, as everything from the linear mission-based gameplay to the cut-scene-driven story brings to mind the cockney crime caper.

As with The Getaway, Mafia's 22 missions provide a mix of driving and shooting set-pieces. In the driving missions you might be involved in a battle with another mob vehicle, with henchmen leaning out the windows exchanging gunfire. Headlights are blasted, tyres are blown and if you let them barge you into a flip you'll soon be guzzling a gourmet helping of lead. Even better are the getaway missions; particularly later in the game when you've got the right set of lockpicks for some souped-up motors. Dodging trolley cars, playing chicken with oncoming traffic and bombing down alleyways with the cops and the Morello boys on your tail - it's edge-of-the-seat stuff.

Out of the car, the combat missions include huge scale shootouts, baseball bat intimidations and Molotov cocktail visits to Morello hideouts. A favourite sequence sees Tommy sneaking across rooftops, escaping police snipers and eventually reaching the church where your targets are attending a funeral. Bursting in with a shotgun rather than a bouquet of chrysathemums, you pick off the mourners until the place looks more like a mortuary than a church. Just make sure you've saved enough bullets for the three heavily-armed mobsters lurking at the end of the level.

While not as polished as The Getaway or as varied and exciting as Vice City, Mafia does a grand job of bringing old-skool gangster fun to the PS2. It may be a touch sedate for some and the missions can feel a bit samey, but the cinematic nature of the game had us following its twists and turns right up to the epic finale. Not quite an offer you can't refuse, then, but certainly a game that deserves your respect.

Graphics 60%
In-game visuals can't match the cut-scenes.

Sound 70%
Atmospheric score and quality voice-acting.

Gameplay 70%
The Getaway, set in 1930s Coast Nostra country.

Lifespan 70%
Fairly long adventure, plus racing sub-games.

Overall 70%
An entertaining mix of shooting and driving set against a great cinematic backdrop. Not exactly the Don but definitely a made man.