Made men

GAME OF THE WEEK:Mafia II, 18 cert, 2k Games, PC (also Xbox 360)

Striking a balance between a compelling storyline and decent action and gameplay is not easy. However, this latest mobster-inspired title just about manages it.

The game is set in postwar Empire City, where you take on the role of Vito Scaletta. Having returned from fighting overseas, Vito wants something more, and aspires to become a “made man”.

As Vito, you have to make your way up in the Mafia hierarchy, performing certain jobs to prove your worth and loyalty. Missions vary from the run of the mill (collecting money from workers in the shipyard) to the more violent. Complete them successfully and you will be trusted with more complex tasks.

All this takes place in detailed environments, taking in areas from the docks to urban landscapes, and mixing great sound effects with realistic graphics. It has a strong feel of Grand Theft Auto, if GTA was set in the 1940s and 1950s.

Mafia IIfeels like there is more to the story, and it's worth watching the beautifully detailed – if sometimes a little long – cut scenes to find out the missing chunks of the story.

Mafia IIpulls no punches. Aimed squarely at a more adult audience, it manages to squeeze almost everything you wouldn't want to discuss in front of the kids into the first few minutes of gameplay: sex, violence, crime, prostitution. It earns its 18 rating, not least for the gratuitous nudity, which, given the detailed graphics, is quite realistic.

Needless to say, not for the faintheated.