While Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar may pride itself on creating titles that are guaranteed to shock the blue rinse brigade into premature coronaries en masse, even it might consider calling the cops on this one. Yes, imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but what's happened here has more in common with the great train robbery than nicking a few fashion tips from the Beckhams.

It's not just that Roadkill has been inspired by GTA; it actually seems to think that it is an instalment of Rockstar's gizzard-encrusted series. Granted, things here are set in a post-apocalyptic future and you can't get out of your car, but surface differences aside, Roadkill does everything it can to remind you that it is the closest thing to GTA4 you can play this Christmas.

When things kick off you're the new boy in town. One of the local gangs is after some muscle for hire and you step forward for the job. Basic mission types range from bag drops and escort runs, to destroying merchandise and assassinations of gang bosses. Complete a mission for a gang capo and he'll introduce you to his boss. Wade your way through his tier of bloody tasks and you'll earn the right to travel to the next city and open up a whole new world of missions. Yes, you've seen this tried-and-tested formula before, but that doesn't change the fact that it really does work.

GTA veterans will not only find the missions eerily familiar, but the entire game structure too. Fancy saving your game? Simply pop over to your garage any time you like. How about a little diversion away from the game's main missions? No worries, just head over to one of the optional sub-missions you'll see on your oddly familiar map. Wondering how many gang members you've mowed down? Simple: pause the game and have a gander at the slowly scrolling list of game statistics.

Got the picture? There are so many startling similarities between this and a certain other game it's almost unbelievable. Roadkill even seems to have the same crappy on-screen writing as GTA for gawd's sake.

Being wheel-bound for the entire game means that developer Terminal Reality has made one or two tweaks of its own to the GTA formula. First up, as you can't get out of your car, nicking other motors is clearly going to be tricky to pull off. To get round this you can choose any car in your possession from the safety of your garage. And instead of commandeering any car you can lay your hands on, here you unlock new vehicles through mission success.

With three much smaller cities, some floaty car physics and only 30 core missions, Roadkill may not quite enable players the same freedoms as GTA but gives it a damned good go. While it clearly falls short of Rockstar's baby in just about every department, Vice City fans will still hoover this up - particularly as GTA4 won't be with us until late next year. It looks like Midway has pulled off the perfect crime and, on this evidence, is going to get away with it too. Grand theft auto? Too bleedin' right.

Graphics 70%
Bears an uncanny resemblance to you know what!

Sound 70%
Yep, it's got its own in-game radio station too.

Gameplay 70%
Identical to GTA, but you're trapped in your motor.

Lifespan 80%
Nails hard, with plenty to do.

Overall 70%
Mind-shatteringly unoriginal it may be, but Roadkill is well worth getting stuck in to nonetheless.