Grand Theft Auto V is fast, vast, and vile-but it's also a lot of fun. It might be my inner Terrible Person talking, but I had a great time causing mayhem in Los Santos and the surrounding area. I also found myself doing something I have yet to in any GTA to date: role-playing the characters.

With the release of ‘GTA V Online' now out ( review here ) I thought it was about time I got the single player review uploaded. I have to admit that I never really played the fourth outing or the other titles for that matter, they simply didn't appeal to me, but since tackling the fifth title I am...

Only one word can describe how I felt when I blasted Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time" from my car as the cops chased me down a busy boulevard: magical. In that gloriously random moment, Grand Theft Auto V gave the obscure '80s hit new meaning, evolving from a cheap pop song into a rousing anthem...

Quenching your wanderlust After a lengthy introduction, I grabbed a car and drove as far as I could just to see what was in store for me over the next couple of days; GTA V has the largest map Rockstar has ever made in any of its open-world releases.

Uncomfortable brush with reality I've always considered GTA games like cartoons; They're super violent, but they're also foul-mouthed and silly looking enough to not take them too seriously (like South Park ).

The granddaddy is back and better than ever. Play this game.

GTA remains the king of the open world; Three-character storyline works well; Terrific technical achievements

Seems to be missing its multiplayer mode

Let's face it… this title needs no review. The GTA series has always sold itself on the merits of previous offerings, and has always managed to up the ante as to what players should expect from their open world titles.

There are certain reviews that are more difficult to write than others. Sometimes it's just hard to quantify what is or is not good about a game due to the way it doesn't quite fit the normal mold.

Graphically stellar with decent framerate; Extensive storyline is engaging and immersive; Heists are a massive high-point where choices matter; Pacing is perfect; Soundtrack is boxset worthy; Gunplay and driving mechanics are better

Cannot restart a race or mission midway; Races can be brutally difficult

The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series gave birth to the open-world game, and although we've seen plenty of open-world games since, each new release in the series continues to raise the bar for the genre to a whole new level. GTA V is no exception.

When Vader asked me to review the PC release of Grand Theft Auto V, he did so knowing full well that I had never played any of the GTA series. I was pretty sure he was doing this for his own amusement (How dare you? – Ed. Vader).

Smooth beautiful graphics; lots to do in game apart from the main storyline; online play; lots of bang for your buck

Save games do not sync; language and content is for adults only and not for the faint of heart (this could be viewed as a high by some)

is not only a preposterously enjoyable video game, but also an intelligent and sharp-tongued satire of contemporary America. It represents a refinement of everything that GTA IV brought to the table five years ago.

Incredible world; Gripping story; Varied; thrilling missions; Spectacular heists; Bitingly funny

Nobody makes an open world quite like Rockstar. Others may be bigger, moodier, or crazier, but between Rockstar's obsessive attention to detail and its anarchic approach to gameplay, something emerges that's deeply memorable and filled with a constant sense of discovery.

+ Offers a gigantic state in which to run amok in countless unique and interesting ways; + Story is long; engaging; and packed with fun missions and fascinating characters

- As much as Rockstar played it up; you won't get rich quickly; and buying property is pretty shallow once you do; ?