I wonder how I'd look in that car...

Even after playing GTA2, I still love Grand theft auto just as much. It is unlike any other game you've played before. The AI is great, although not as advanced as the sequal, it's still amazing. I found the storyline a little strange and hard to follow. The language is horrible, I didn't know they allowed that kind of stuff in games. Of course judging by the title you might already realize this is not at all a wholesome game. You're a mercinary, and all you do is kill people and steal things, and you almost never get caught! Not morals you want your kids to learn. They will have a lot of fun with this game, but it is one title they should be kept away from.

the weapons: Although there are only 4, I don't think any gun could replace the old fashioned machine gun. As bad as it sounds, I am the unstoppable cop killer with one of these in my hand. The rocket launcher is a good gun, except it is too easy to kill yourself. With the flamethrower, no one will be able to get anywhere near you or they'll be "toast". I like the handgun as well, because it's not too cheap, and you can improve your aim by using civilians for target practice. If you like to shoot things and the only reason you want it is to go on a mad rampage, this is the game for you.

the streets: I think the artists did a good job on the cars here. They are easy to reaconize and actually look like modern cars! There are 3 cities you can go to, and in each city you have two bosses. you work for one then the next. The civilians are always walking around the street, as well as cops patrolling. If you commit a crime in the view of a cop, he will try and arrest you. I consider that a nice feature the way these little things are added in that I wouldn't notice, such as the stoplights actually change(I never stop anyway), and the people cross on crosswalks. I never thought I'd say this, but there aren't enough cops. You could literally murder someone, go see a movie, and come back to finally see the cops rolling up beside you.

the missions Not as detailed as in GTA2 this is the only feature which is really lacking in comparison. You do everything from assasination to traffic violations to mass murder. The jobs are difficult, but if you fail you don't die(well usually), so it keeps it fun because you can just go on to the next one. Sometimes missions are unclear, that limits fun, and since you can't do a job twice, if your not sure what to do, it could hurt.

multiplayer: none
sound: 5 for everyone's taste in music, each car has a different radio station*
graphics: 2 overhead view makes graphics poor, kind of blockey
play control: 4 get used to it fast
funfactor: 5 truely great
replay value: 5 it just doesn't get boring

to sum it all up: Older teenagers and college students would get a kick out of this game. Buy or rent it if you've got a lot of time to yourself and not much to do with it. Otherwise it is still an good game to have, Many hours of play time.
*you can even put in your own CD and have it play when you go in and out of cars.