As soon as I heard about Mafia and saw the trailer I was counting down the days until its release and I was not disappointed.

The first time you play the game through you may find it difficult. Some of the cars can be difficult to control especially at high speeds and you often run into areas with a substantial number of enemies but it's not ridiculously difficult, it just requires a little bit of skill. Having played it through more than once I found that the second time I played it through it was actually fairly easy.

You take on the role of Tommy Angelo, a mere cab driver who works his way up the ranks of the mafia. The storyline is gripping, the gameplay well thought out, the graphics very good for the time of release, the music is completely in line with the style of game and there is some replay value. There are Free Ride and Free Ride Extreme modes which will keep you going for a while after you have finished the main game.

I do wish that you had the ability to enter random buildings and speak to the inhabitants, extort money from bar and restaurant owners etc but the game is very satisfying. Even without those elements I consider it a 4.5/5 but as I can only award whole stars I'll go with 5/5. I'm expecting great things from Mafia 2 which is due to be released next year.