on the face of it, taking control of a city, running illegal businesses, waging all out war on opponents and making vast amounts of money in the process sounds great. and it is. it is set in the late 1920's in chicago style levels, in a state called new temperance, working your way across the various cities to get to the top.
the game revolves around a scenario where a young hoodlum, joey bane, seeks revenge following the killing of his father by gangsters. there are 21 missions plus tutorials to do, and you have to work your way up, crushing other gangsters to get the man at the top.
but first you have to accomplish various missions such as kill his lieutenants, kidnap his associates and generally wreak havoc across the state. there is a variety of weapons ranging from the standard pistol upto tommy guns and explosives. you drive around in cars - fast roadsters, trucks and bullet proof cars.
but to arm your men with bodyguards, tommy guns and put them in bullet proof cars, you need one thing - money. and lots of it. buy legal businesses such as department stores, local shops, tenement buildings and movie theatres. then, open up illegal businesses - brothels, counterfit presses, casinos, gambling dens, card games, bars, protection rackets and many more. then supply these with illegal alchohol from your own breweries and stills.
take out opponents sites, kill their gangsters and cause mayhem in your quest for vengeance. and for a little help, slip the police, the judge, the DA and the mayor among others a little bribe to make them turn a blind eye to your activities.
this is a good game and you'll have fun playing the role of a gangster, but it has its flaws. the missions seem a bit repetitive, the cars have a mind of their own, and some missions are very long - can take over 3 hours. but this is such an addictive game that these don't detract that much from the game. it is under a fiver and i had enormous fun - great value.