Here's your choice. Siddown and let me make an offer you can't refuse... or you can go and sleep with the fishes. What's it to be?

This sequel has more than a fresh lick of paint to recommend it. Nowadays, it plays much more like a thoughtful real-time-strategy.

Buying properties is more straightforward, and thankfully your gangsters no longer charge headlong towards the nearest firefight only to die uselessly as a platoon of police officers descend on the location.

All the same, it can take a long time to get into the game as the early missions, in which you get your training, are so tough. Plot-wise, things are improved too, as you take Joey Bane through 20 missions in search of revenge for the death of his father. Throw in some intriguing multiplayer gaming and you've got a game that reeks atmosphere and hooks you in for some short sharp strategy gaming.

A few gripes persist, but all in all, this game's a winner. Just don't expect an easy ride from the Mob.

Graphics 4/5

Sound 3/5

Gameplay 4/5

Gamespan 4/5

Overall 4/5

SPECS: Pentium 266, 64MB RAM, 4MB graphics card, 574MB hard disk space