Set in the famous Liberty City, and in the same time period as the PlayStation2 big brother, GTAIII, this Gameboy Advance version is a brand-new adventure and story. You play Mike, a criminal who has very nearly raised enough cash to get out of the city and the life for good. Unfortunately, your partner Vinnie has made some enemies that would like to see him dead, so they put a bomb under his car to finish him off. All the money was in the car too – not good.

As silly as all the above sounds it’s exactly what I was thinking when sat at my desk at work one night playing Special Forces. A rather quiet two hours allowed me to play this non-stop and whilst it’s not the best looking game you will play (even by GBA standards) it’s a whole lot of fun.

   

The game plays very similarly to the original console & PC versions, displayed in a top-down viewpoint of the city instead of the 3D setup like the modern PlayStation2 games. Cut-scenes are delivered via still screens with characters faces on them, and they use the same art style as seen in previous games. Obviously the Gameboy Advance isn’t stunning graphically, but you get a convincing 2D world to play in, and apart from it occasionally slowing down, it’s a slick game. The developer has managed to cram in a fair amount of varied music too.

   

The missions vary nicely, ranging from typical carjacking, taking out mobs by running them over, and even playing taxi for drunken girls. Later in the game you go to another two islands where the game and story continues onward.

   

Any fan of GTA who owns a Gameboy Advance will love this, and the missions are normally fairly short, which is perfect for a sneaky game whilst on the loo or waiting in traffic. There are around 300 missions too, so the game is absolutely huge and will take a long time to complete 100%.