Review
Welcome to the '90s, Grand Theft Auto-style: Guns N' Roses, Dr. Dre, grunge, rising gang violence, and bad political talk radio. As usual, exploring the enormous world while listening to the various radio stations is the best part of the game. Road rage, sub-machine guns, and Ozzy Osbourne mix well. Those interested in actually playing through San Andreas' story have hours of varied missions awaiting them, and hardcore gamers can go for the elusive "100%" completion rating. The plot is interesting -- helped greatly by top-notch vocal talent, especially Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Ice-T, and James Woods -- and that's good enough.
Every game in the Grand Theft Auto series has significantly improved on its predecessor. San Andreas is no exception. The promising features offered in Vice City -- flying, motorcycles, and multiple outfits, for example -- have all been perfected in San Andreas. Flying has become the sublime experience that Vice City never managed, and C.J.'s wardrobe options are staggering. Swimming, diving, and underwater exploration are new possibilities. The range of available vehicles is ridiculous. Even after beating the game, there will probably be many vehicles the player has yet to use. The game world is almost too big -- a good problem to have, but the countryside between Las Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas is a maze and difficult to navigate (for the next GTA, Rockstar should improve the radar display).
Missions are innovative and take advantage of new features. Several tasks prominently feature parachuting, which is great fun. Sadly, there are also some real "lemon" missions, including most of flight school, and a particularly hideous mini-airplane assignment from the annoying Zero. Several missions attempt to incorporate "stealth" -- unfortunately, the game system doesn't support stealth gameplay too well. It's generally easier to shoot your way through any difficulties (for which you rarely suffer any penalties).
San Andreas is a great game, by far the best in the GTA Series. The enormous game world, innovative mission design, soundtrack, plethora of vehicles, and gore-filled action will keep grown-up gamers happy for weeks.
Graphics 
Weather effects, car detailing, city grime -- it's all here. There are problems with distances, but they rarely affect gameplay. Also, the high-speed "blurring" while driving the hot-rod cars is lots of fun.
Sound 
The soundtrack and character voices get an A+, but the rest of the sound effects are ordinary.
Enjoyment
The plot is interesting, but disturbing -- everything else is top-notch.
Replay Value 
There's plenty to keep you coming back, including the near impossible 100%.
Documentation 
Thorough and helpful, but nothing special.
