Make no mistake, Chinatown Wars, like every GTA instalment on every console, is hardcore violence so it's not for little ones.

Making good use of the Nintendo DS touchscreen and microphone, developer Rockstar has gone all out to pack a whole lot of madness and mayhem into such a little package. You play spoilt rich kid Huang Lee who's out to avenge his father's death, find a family heirloom and gain control of Liberty City's triad gangs.

The missions include dealing drugs, hijacking taxis and ambulances, and delivering noodles. Some move the game forward and the others are worth completing to build your fortune and climb the criminal ladder.

While the developers have packed a lot of detail into the sprawling Liberty City environs, the missions are bite-sized and well-suited to the handheld format.

Occasionally it's a bit hard to tell the front of the car from the rear so don't be surprised if you find yourself reversing instead of going forward but you should get to grips with it all pretty fast.

You're well catered for in the weapon department with the mandatory baseball bat and pistols easily replaced by rocket launchers, miniguns, mines, flamethrowers and about 20 other instruments of death and torture.

The game makes use of the Nintendo DS' wi-fi card wireless mulitcard play enabling multi-player co-op and head-to-head gaming.