Make no mistake about it, Vice City is a violent game and your mission assignments will reflect that.  Vehicular homicide, assassinations, and brutal beatings are all par for the course (OK, bad joke, one mission requires you to track down a man on a golf course and beat him to death with an iron).  There is blood in the game, but it is more cartoony than sickening even when it splatters on your screen in one of the game's more gruesome touches.  Believe it or not, I've played games that were more violent than this one before.  That being said, it is still not a kid's game and parents should pay heed to the game's Mature rating.

There are plenty of bikes to steal in Vice City.

The game's controls remain the same as in the original, and you can still hijack and steal any vehicle that you come across.  This being a ritzy beach city there are more sports cars to grab off of the streets, with the Ferrari, Porsche,  and Lamborghini inspired models being a particular blast to drive at high speed down the strand.  One of the new additions to Vice City is the introduction of motorcycles that range from scooters to hogs.  You can steal and ride any of these and they make great getaway vehicles.  Losing the cops is a lot easier when you can cut down alleyways or drive into a mall and up the escalator.  Unfortunately hitting anything while riding a bike will send you flying - the lack of seatbelts and helmet laws will cost you some health in this case.  Should you need to get across town really quickly you can steal a helicopter and fly above the traffic.  You can land the helicopter just about anywhere, including the tops of many buildings - a great way to find secret bonus items.

While Vice City still uses the same target lock system for shooting that can be a bit frustrating at times - especially in larger brawls when it can be difficult to target the guy you want to shoot - it does include some entirely new moves.  You can now bail out of moving vehicles, which is handy when you'd rather not wait to come to a complete stop as your car is burning around you.  You can also crouch down in Vice City, which is a useful when you need a little cover in a firefight.  Crouching also helps steady your aim when you are using weapons that can be fired in first-person view.

Another interesting addition to the game is that you can buy property.  This does more than give you additional hideouts, it opens up property related missions for you to complete.  Finish all the missions for a property and it will start earning a nice and steady income for your bankroll.

Many of the missions in Vice City are of the same type as those in GTA3 - rampages, assassinations, and demolitions to name a  few.  A new class of missions will require you to pilot remote controlled vehicles.  The vehicles tend to be tricky to get the hang of operating, and once you do it still doesn't save these missions from being a bit tedious.  They're a change of pace, but I wouldn't miss them if they weren't included in the game.

Vice City has a great foundation to build on with GTA3.  From it Rockstar has built a game that has even more character than the original, and made Vice City even more lively and interesting than Liberty City.  The game is well enough designed that it feels like a new experience rather than more of the same from GTA3.  The minor problems present in the original game still persist, but they are not big enough to bring the game down.  If you liked GTA3, then you'll love Vice City.  If for some reason you didn't, then there is not enough new here to change your mind.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 95%.  Even more Grand Theft Auto goodness.  Make your move to the sun and beaches of Vice City today.

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