So, it’s finally here. Grand Theft Auto V takes you back on a nostalgic trip back to San Andreas, but this time, the city of Los Santos is your sandbox. The city is literally alive, like fleas on the back of a cat. The scale is dizzying. Just like somewhere real, several unique areas make up the city, from the glamorous homes of Rockford Hills, to the grimy, gangster ridden, graffiti decorated suburbs of Davis and Rancho, and then on to the sunshine and bikinis of Vespucci beach. Looking across your playable zone it looks as if it goes on forever, but this literally is only a quarter of the map. This is Rockstar's biggest city yet.

The entire map is split into several districts, Los Santos being it's most dense. Drive through the Rockford Hills, past your Vinewood sign, and you find yourself in the Grand Senora desert, which is home to the shanty town of Sandy Shores. Keep going and you find yourself at the vast Alamo Sea, in which you'll find Mt. Chilliad. At the base lies yet another town to explore, the suburban Paleto Bay and Blaine County's forest. Like I said, it's huge!

Rockstar has pulled out all the stops when it comes to detail. Unsavoury types congregate on street corners and drunks stagger down the streets. Even rats plague the bins, plus houses and shops are boarded up giving the lower class areas of the city that dingy feel to it.
Now add in the road trips, sports cars, business men on their mobile phones, obnoxious actors leaving the studio and extras in alien costumes on their breaks.

Head off into the desert and you see backpackers, cyclists, people walking their dogs, and if you're not careful, a deer through your windscreen. Yes, GTA V now comes with a full set of wildlife creatures, from cows to deer, to packs of dingo. It's safe to say, this is the most detailed map ever, a haven for gamers.

The game opens up at the peak of a bank job, a tutorial-based mission that gives you a feel for what is to come. Once you have completed this you are met with your first playable character Franklin. A black wannabe G, working as a repo man, stuck in the grip of a shady car dealership.

You will get to play several characters to extend the story of your rise to fame in the underworld. Having playable characters make for an interesting experience.

Statistics give the game an RPG element feel, and includes weapon use, driving, lung capacity, and stamina.

Complete a mission and you are scored.

Combat feels a lot smoother than previous games with a much snappier cover system.

There are literally so many things to do in Los Santos it still doesn’t feel dried up or repetitive.

Get a haircut, grow a beard, go and work out at the gym, race boats or cars, scuba dive in the ocean and punch a shark, assassinate company bosses and see their shares fall on the stock exchange.

You can even take pictures and upload them to Facebook, invest in real estate, go shopping, play minigolf, play tennis, and buy local businesses.
Rockstar games have over-achieved.

It feels fresh and new, as well as tight and polished. It feels like an entirely different take on the Grand Theft Auto series. It's extremely well written and the humour is great. The music is superb and has a huge selection of radio stations to choose from for all types of situations.

The comedy on car radio is still brilliant. I almost get angry when I have reached my destination and have to get out the car.

Rockstar has definitely set a new standard of next generation gaming, which other developers will find very hard to follow. And with its release onto the Playstation 4, Grand Theft Auto will be in a league of its own.