Rock Star Grand Theft Auto 2

Grand Theft Auto is back--and the popular mission-based driving game is nastier than ever! Grand Theft Auto 2 plays much like its predecessor, and that is not necessarily a good thing.

The graphics in the original were terrible, and GTA 2 does little to amend this deficiency. The game camera looks straight down on the action, making it difficult to judge relative heights. The grainy game objects don't help matters much, either. Plus, the game's missions mainly consist of fetching things for crime lords, with a few assassination missions thrown in every so often.

Still, Grand Theft Auto 2 is a terrific game to boot up for 30 minutes if you want to blow off some steam. You don't necessarily have to take on any missions. Instead, you can brainlessly roam around the enormous city environments performing random acts of violence. (However, we don't recommend that you try this at home!). Few games of any type offer this sort of reckless, open-ended mayhem.

Police chases are wilder than ever thanks to new units with improved interception techniques. New weapons also add some much-needed variety to the carnage that players are bound to create. If you never played the original, skip it and pick up this version. You might also consider getting some therapy, if time permits. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Artificial intelligence is somewhat improved
• Controls are a little better than the original

• Few gameplay improvements from the original
• Less than impressive graphics
• Gameplay suffers from slowdown