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Months of glowing reviews and positive hearsay in the PS2 community have firmly established Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as a more than worthy successor to the GTA throne. Last winter, JIVE gave it a perfect "Five out of Five."

By now, anyone the least bit interested in the GTA franchise has heard the tale of Carl Johnson, a simple man driven to extremes by the tragic death of his mother, the malign influence of corrupt policemen, and the desperate decisions of gang politics in the streets and backroads of San Andreas. If you've heard about it, you're seriously considering a purchase of the new releases for either your Xbox or PC. If you've seen it, then you've already bought it and will finish reading this review as fast as you can, because the shipment just left Los Santos for San Fierra and you've got to catch it before it gets away, so get to the point already, okay, 'cause you've got to get paid!

But if you're still not convinced, let me continue ...

Visually, there is almost no difference between the PC and Xbox versions. Cityscapes are stunning, particularly when you find yourself way above the streets below. As brutal as this game can be, as violent as situations turn out, the sheer beauty of the design can't be denied. Without a side-by-side comparison, it is hard for me to really say if these new releases outshine the PS2 original, but they both certainly feel sharper. The PC release is particularly defined, though this may just be a positive side-effect of a high-res monitor. All I know it that it makes the eye-strain of reading the map on the PS2 a thing of the past. No longer must I ask myself such questions as "Is that an icon for a barber or is that Big Smoke's house?" or "Where's the freakin' Pay & Spray?!?"

But I must confess ... I feel a little cheated on the lack of shine and detail with�the vehicular offerings in GTA:SA, and this is all Rockstar's fault. After spending so much quality time driving eye-stunning machines in their own Midnight Club 3, even the sweetest "borrowed" ride in Los Santos leaves much to be desired. Of course, there's no opportunity to hop out of your car and shoot out your opponent's tires in MC3 either, so I guess it all balances out.

Rockstar could've taken the too easy route of just emulating the original code, particularly for the PC, but these releases have been extensively taylored for both new platforms. The in-game instructions are very specific the controls available, and the mechanics of even the simplest tasks take this into account as well. The best example is probably the first low-rider competition, where Carl has to win the respect of his sister's new boyfriend by showing and proving. On the Xbox, the car's hydraulics are bounced with the right joystick, a control that usually directs the driving camera. On the PC, you bounce with the numpad. It's a little thing, but these small considerations for the player are very important to a good gaming experience. And isn't it fascinating that Rockstar -- a company that gets so much attention for the illicit and anarchic nature of their products -- somehow manages to be so incredibly mindful of the playability of their games and the enjoyment of those who play them?

Some missions are easier on the PC than on the Xbox, while others seem almost impossible. Street racing and thug chasing with a mouse and keyboard is unnatural and nerve-wracking, particularly when faced with hairpin curves and right-angle alleyways. Good old WASD controls your steering while your mouse mans the chase camera. And as if you didn't have enough to do, you can look to the left ("Q") and right ("E") to express yourself with a machine gun. The space bar handbrake is some comfort, but even that old standby will send you into a forehead-smacking 180. Before you get used to it, you may find yourself adding your own select profanities to those built-in to the dialogue, but keep in mind that these struggles only serve to make winning so much sweeter.

On the other hand, veterans of PC-based first-person shooters might have a distinct advantage in some of the run-and-gun missions. While the Xbox sports an auto-aiming system that allows the player to move from pre-selected target to pre-selected target with the black and white buttons, the PC uses a simple right-click mouse look to aim. In no time, using that old school Quake technique can be deadly accurate, particularly with the rifles that zoom just enough to get a bead on some sucka's head.

Either of these new releases would make for�a worthwhile addition to your distractions, and what is especially compelling is that Carl Johnson's tragic tale is just as good as the missions that move you from one stage of the game to the next. Part of this is the voice-acting. The cut-scenes feature contributions from tons of A-list actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn and even Peter Fonda. But the story is just as good as the movies that inspired this particular entry, such as Pulp Fiction, Boyz N The Hood and so on. It might've been a foregone conclusion, given the way we recognized the PS2 original, but both of these new releases have proven their individual worth.

All we can do now is wonder just what Rockstar is going to do for their next epic entry into interactive adult entertainment.

RATING: Five Shining Wanted Stars Out of ~~Six~~ Five