Before getting started, you create your "mob face" - a latino looking gangster that will be you for the rest of the game. Its fairly limited and most of the adjustments couldnt even be seen. And to make sure you still look like a Corleone, you dont have the choice of being a gingernut.... which I was pretty upset about. Isnt that racist?

You then start the game in a safe house in Little Italy, New York. Inside is OK, but once you step outside, the city surroundings are not particularly detailed. Plenty of effort has gone into the texture mapping of some of the characters (including your own!), but little else. The buildings, pavements and roads, cars dont seem to have any "realism". But putting that aside, you have the freedom of a pretty big City and the game just gets better. The idea of the game is to help build the Corleone empire - using protection rackets, buying-in to businesses to make a profit and generally gaining respect from just about everyone....even if it means bribing the law. Build enough respect and you can even hire your own thugs to do the dirty work for you and help protect you. Once you're in control of Little Italy....take control of the other families - 5 in all - to become the Don of NYC.

Its a pretty big map where you have to drive some distance between the areas and their respective Families. Not as big as something like Need for Speed, but you can interact with so many shops, objects, people and cars. It can easily be compared to GTA 3 but with a 1940's style - and the entire map is open from the start. On your map, you will be shown all the businesses you can extort money from by intimidating the shopkeepers. But if you get too heavy handed, they fight back (or, worst still, die!) and then you've blown your chances of any money out of them.

Several businesses have "back rooms" where not-so-legal activities - such as gambling take place. If you successfully extort the shop owners, you will gain access to these back rooms, where you may be able to buy-in and take a share of the profits - all of which contribute to your "payday".

This is the basic running of the game. But you can talk to anyone in the street, drive any car and drive anywhere. The free roaming and highly interactiveness makes this a very engrossing game. Some of the characters you see, either in shops or just standing in the street, will give you extra tasks such as a contract kills, rescuing a family member or just being a driver for someone. And of course, this all gets you Respect aswell as money so you can upgrade your weapons, or kit yourself out in a new whistle.

As you'd expect, its pretty violent, with all manner of ways to beat and kill your enemys....or even innocent bystanders. Although theres no shortage of firearms, the hands-on beatings are far more satisfying!! But always look out for whos around you....theres gangsters everywhere!!

My first thoughts of this game were "this is most defiantly NOT a next gen title". In fact, from first glance, its easy to assume that this may have been developed as a "classic" Xbox game that has then been re-packaged for the 360!

Personally, I didnt think i'd like it. It looked like it was going to be a very inadequate game. But what it lacks in graphical detail, it makes up for it in content and the smooth scrolling of the game - there are no "loading" screens between the neighbourhoods.

As far as I know, theres nothing comparible out at the moment, so i think its worth getting. (Provided you're over 18 of course!!)

One small downside is that you wont get easy achievement points in the game. With 38 achievements in all, its obvious they are spreading them thin.....you only get 40 points for completing the game and becoming Don of NYC!!! So no quick boost to your gamerscore with this one i'm afraid.