We've finally had a chance to see Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in action and, predictably, it's already looking great. But, based purely on the handful of Los Santos missions that we've been privy to, there's nothing yet that marks it out as being leagues ahead of what was on offer in its (admittedly fantastic) predecessor Vice City.

While the state of San Andreas - which is loosely based on California and parts of Nevada - consists of three major cities, a smattering of rural conurbations, interstate freeways and vast expanses of countryside and desert, the press were only shown an eight block-sized area of the Los Angeles-based Los Santos, set in the vicinity of CJ's home. Los Santos alone is the same size as the whole of Vice City though, which gives you some idea of the game's scope.

The presentation kicked off with CJ being dropped in rival gang territory, after he's picked up at the airport - where he's just flown in from Liberty City - by crooked cops. Luckily, there's a BMX to hand that he can hop on in order to head back to his house, which can be found in a typical east LA-style cul-de-sac. As he rides through the city streets, it's immediately apparent that Los Santos has a more alive, organic feel to it than Vice City. Peer at the background activity and you'll notice cars parking, couples wandering around and even gang members downing bottles of malt liquor.

CJ then meets up with old pal (and Eazy-E looky-likey) Ryder who, along with Smoke and CJ's brother Sweet, make up the Orange Grove crew. CJ and Ryder (who claims to be "wired like a kung fu master") have some, er, business to attend to at a local pizza parlour but, prior to that, there's the important issue of getting CJ's hair sorted out - one example of the new level of character customisation available that covers everything from appearance to weapon and driving skills.

Getting a mop chop is a simple case of heading into the friendly neighbourhood barbers and walking up to a chair. Once seated, a menu pops up and you can scroll through the selection of barnets on offer. We were hoping to see the afro/'tache double whammy in action but Rockstar instead opted for a classic '90s flat top.

Tresses sorted, CJ and Ryder trotted off to the Well Stacked Pizza Co, which is just over the road. Pizza joints are one of four fast food chains featured in the game (there are also burger, hotdog and chicken emporiums). We're also expecting there to be healthier alternatives to a diet of greasy meat - considering that CJ becomes fat and lethargic if his diet is poor and he throws up if he consumes too much junk food - although Rockstar have yet to reveal anything on this front.

Stuffing his face is the last thing on CJ's mind though during this section - along with Ryder, he attempts an armed robbery, only for the bloke behind the counter to pull out a 12-gauge shotgun. Erk. The pair leg it and you have to jump in to a car to escape to safety.

Drive-bys were one of the first new features to be announced for San Andreas and the next mission finally gave us a chance to see them in action, with CJ being the driver while the rest of his posse looks after the shooting side of things. During drive-by missions - in this one, you have to take out members of rival gang the Ballas - you simply have to drive in the vicinity of your targets (all indicated by the handy yellow arrows that hover over them) and the rest of your crew will lean out the windows to do the real dirty work.

If anyone tries to flee, you can just run them over. It looks like fun but we somehow expected there to be a bit more to the drive-by mechanic than simply, er, driving by. Post-drive-by you'll need to head off to the classic GTA paint and spray shop in order to lose the cops, before taking your homies back to da hood. Ahem.

Next up is a meeting of rival gang factions at a motel which, unsurprisingly, goes horribly wrong when the party is gatecrashed by a SWAT team. Your task is to head inside the motel - interiors are now far more sizeable than they were in Vice City - and rescue Sweet before he's killed to death. This section gave us a good look at the improved shooting technique which allows for targeting and locking on to enemies a la Zelda and Rockstar's own Manhunt. The level ends with CJ having to shoot down a police helicopter while on the motel rooftop.

Our first look at San Andreas culminated with an exhilarating set piece in which you're being pursued by numerous cops. While Smoke handles the driving, the viewpoint switches to first-person and you have to pick off the pursuing police cars and motorbikes. However, while this type of first-person gameplay is new to GTA, it's strongly reminiscent of the sort of ageing arcade gun games in which you don't control where your character goes, only where you shoot. In a game all about freedom, it's an odd concept to have that sense of freedom taken away.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be released for PS2 on 22 October. We're expecting to see more of the game - including the countryside areas - in action within the next couple of weeks. We'll keep you posted