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Getting online is as easy as whipping out Niko's cell phone and selecting the Multiplayer option. Up to 16 players can compete in more than a dozen different multiplayer games, either individually or as teams. Free Mode lets you run around Liberty City, causing trouble as you see fit. Hunt other players down and shoot them, steal a car and run them down, climb a building and snipe from cover.

My personal favorite is GTA Race, which is, as its name implies, just a race -- except in this race, you can use whatever transportation you can steal, including that of your opponents. You can high-tail it on foot, steal a sports car, carjack your pal -- whatever it takes to get to the finish line. Usually the point of a race is to get there first, and if you don't, you feel as though you've completely wasted your time by competing. In GTA Race, it's all about the journey. The victory is almost incidental to the event.

Many of the multiplayer modes are team-based, such as Cops 'n' Crooks, in which the team of Crooks is trying to get to a randomly-generated extraction point, while the Cops try to prevent them from making a getaway. Not only does this mode lend itself well to teamwork, it also takes advantage of GTA IV's environments in a more fun and creative way than the expected Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch do.

Grand Theft Auto IV is a thing of beauty, flaws and all, and would be a wise addition to any Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 owner's library. It's not too difficult to figure out which version to get if you only own one machine or the other, but gamers lucky enough to have both should be aware that although the games are on par with each other in most respects, each does have one or two advantages over the other.

GTA IV for the PlayStation 3 version looks slightly better than the version for the 360, especially on high-definition TVs. The anti-aliasing is better, the animation runs a bit more smoothly, and the text and maps are a bit easier to read. The difference isn't startling or dramatic, but it is there. The 360 version gets its edge from the exclusive GTA IV downloadable content that will be released for it later this year, more than likely in the form of new multiplayer modes. The game has plenty to offer even without this boost, but fans of GTA IV's excellent multiplayer will almost assuredly appreciate the extended life new content will give their game.

Both games have been suffering from random lockups and freezes, with problems reportedly occurring more frequently and severely on the PS3. Rockstar recently released a patch for GTA IV on PS3 that should remedy those issues.

One last warning to the GTA newbies in the audience: This game earns every last bit of its M rating. It's brutal, violent, has enough sex and swearing to make a sailor blush, and is therefore best avoided if you find such shenanigans offensive. If you're made of sterner stuff, get on the freeway and head for Liberty City with all due speed -- just watch out for the cops.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.