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GTA IV: EPISODES FROM LIBERTY CITY *****

Lay down some splatter-proof sheeting and give your conscience the rest of the year off, it's time to return to Liberty City.

To celebrate the release of the final episode in the GTA IV saga, The Ballad of Gay Tony, Rockstar Games and Take 2 Interactive have included the previously released biker-gang episode The Lost and Damned and excluded the need for an original copy of GTA IV to play them both. And without the double price tag, it's like two universes for the price of one.

From biker grime to nightclub slime, the two episodes couldn't be more different. In case you missed it, The Lost takes a gritty look at Liberty City biker gangs, death metal and the importance of having your own clubhouse. You play as Lost Motorcycle Club veteran Johnny, and the wasteland streets of Alderney are your playground. When club president Billy Grey gets back from rehab, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the poor guy's lost it. And it's only a matter of time before he slips up and Johnny takes over. Naturally, the changeover is not an amicable or peaceful one.

Even though you're riding the same streets as always, The Lost is a fresh take on life in Liberty City. And the overlapping interactions with the likes of Niko and Roman Belic make the story that much more engaging. With the total immersion in life as a biker, this episode is actually more story-driven and specific than Grand Theft Auto IV. It reminded me of San Andreas, only on bikes. You can steal cars, same as always, but what self-respecting biker dude wants to be seen riding around in a sedan?

As much fun as it is, The Lost still feels like an add-on (Johnny even looks a bit too much like Niko: how hard would it have been to add some long hair and a beard?). The Ballad of Gay Tony, however, is completely different. Straight away, hitting golf balls at a squealing mobster tied to a golf cart, on the new driving range, is a fresh take on interrogation.

The Ballad revolves around nightclub owner Tony Prince (aka Gay Tony), the self-proclaimed "Queen of Algonquin". Playing as Tony's bodyguard and "business associate" Luis Lopez, it's up to you to protect Tony's interests, manage his nightclubs, do his dirty work, pick him up off the floor and make a name for yourself in Liberty City.

Other new additions include sticky bombs, the Buzzard attack chopper, nightclub management, cage fighting and the return of the parachute (last seen in San Andreas).

From the menu designs to the tweaked-looking graphics and story, it really feels like Rockstar went all out on this one. You even get to bump heads with Johnny and The Lost Motorcycle Club along the way.

For GTA junkies, The Lost and Damned is another fun trip through Liberty City (this time as a biker). But The Ballad of Gay Tony is a sky's-the-limit series standout. Perhaps Rockstar's best yet. The characters are awesome, the story's gripping and it's just so damn playable and addictive. PS3 and PC owners, no doubt, will be fuming.