It might be a case of been there, jacked that, blown it up and stole the t-shirt for console players, but for PC-exclusive gamers the anarchic splendour of Grand Theft Auto IV is just about to begin. We've already covered all the reasons why the keyboard and mouse crew's wait might well reward them with the best version of the game, but we've since had some hands-on time with the PC version's multiplayer modes and we wanted to fill you in with a little update.

If you've already played - or indeed read our coverage on - the console multiplayer modes then you know what to expect, as the PC version is pretty similar all round. There are a few notable additions for this new edition though, aside from the obvious graphic improvement, mouse-driven shooting controls and video editor. For starters, the player cap has been increased from 16 to 32, which clearly gives the online lunacy a major shot in the arm. And a shot filled with spectacular violence and explosive laughter it very much is.

Team deathmatch is an even bigger killing spree than ever before, with shoot-outs drowning entire city blocks in gunfire. Playing Turf War - GTA IV's equivalent of Call of Duty 4's Domination mode - the advantages of the extra players were even more apparent. With gameplay based around the taking of control points scattered over a wide area of Liberty City, the extra tactical play facilitated by the increased number of players is a major boon. Designated campers to guard bases, extra decoy squads during raids, plain old massive scale battles over territory... They all add up to a more rewarding experience.

The extra players are a little more of a hindrance in street races though. GTA IV's race events were always a case of "Hold back on the first corner, drive through after everyone crashes" on the consoles, but with 32 vehicles fighting for position it's even more of an almighty clusterf*** than it was the first time around. Whether that's a bad thing or a good thing though, depends on exactly what you want to get out of the GTA experience. There were very occasional frame rate chugs too, but absolutely nothing unforgivable given the amount going on.

Other than that, the tweaks are minor. An extra race track here, some extra character customisation there (zombies were selectable from the main menu - hurrah!), some in-game text chat and that's really about it. Definitely stuff you'll be glad of if this is the first version of GTA IV you're going to buy, but nothing that will have 360 owners glaring at their PC brethren in jealousy. Still, as an overall package it's now looking increasingly likely that this version of GTA IV is going to be the most complete yet. As far as the standalone package goes, anyway. Now if it wasn't for that pesky 360-exclusive DLC...

Nov 25, 2008