Scarface is based on the classic movie starring Al Pacino. In this game, Tony Montana didn't die at the end of the movie. Instead, he has to rebuild his empire piece by piece - and he is VERY angry.

The movie was classic for its over the top violence and fury. You need to be aware that this game is rated M for Mature - and it most definitely earns that rating. There is non stop swearing throughout the game, and a great deal of slaughter. If you thought the Grand Theft Auto games were bad, this takes it a step beyond.

It's definitely intriguing to have a Cuban themed world around you, rather than the stereotypical Italian or ghetto worlds that many other games provide. There is a sense of style generated by a lot of the scenes here, and the dialogue and action is quite involving.

They did a great job with the graphics, although I have to admit that the incredible detail of the Grand Theft Auto series has really spoiled me. If I see a location, I want to be able to go explore it. The Scarface designers only made certain parts of each map playable, and erected invisible force fields everywhere else to prevent you from going there. Those bug me to no end :) Surely they could have spent an extra few weeks in development to let me wander around that area, even if I didn't find anything. It would make the game seem more "real", and my choices more my own.

Also, it would be nice to have things other to do than just mow down enemies. I like games that offer a variety of tasks, but this isn't one of them. If you get tired of the non-stop violence, you have to pop another game into the console in order to relax a bit before you go back to the game.

Still, the game is great fun, and as long as you accept the mature rating and one-track gameplay.