Setting

We are going back to the place where it all began - Liberty City. Liberty City was the first city ever to feature in a Grand Theft Auto game when it appeared in GTA1 back in 1997. It was used once again in 2001 in the hugely successful Grand Theft Auto 3, and it's likely that it will be used again in future releases. Liberty City is based on New York City, the capital city of the world - a favourite amongst developers, publishers and of course the gamers.

The Liberty City Map, featuring Portland (right) Staunton Island (middle) and Shoreside Vale (left)

Liberty City is split up into 3 islands - Portland, Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale. As Liberty City is based on New York City, the three districts can be compared to Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey, respectively. The map, according to Rockstar, is exactly the same as it was in GTA3, although some magazines are saying that Shoreside Vale is extended in a north-easterly direction. There will of course be a few changes in order for things to match with the GTA3 storyline, and also to add a sense of realism to the game (for example - the porter tunnel will will not be present in Liberty City Stories).

Portland

This is the industrial zone. Here you will find the docks, the red light district, warehouses, factories, markets, garages, aswell as some useful suppliers. The area is populated with hookers, pimps, labourers, dockworkers, politicians and general scum. Crime is rife in Portland and it has a long history of mafia control. Triads are also present. A delightful district with something for everyone.

Staunton Island

This is the central business district. Staunton Island can be reached from Portland via the Callahan Bridge. This is where all the big business takes place in Liberty City and is dominated by the rich, powerful and corporate. During the day the area is bustling with businessmen doing their 9-5 thing - insider trading, taking bribes and selling their grandmothers for ten bucks. At night it is dark, desolate and very dangerous.

Shoreside Vale

Suburban bliss and tranquility Liberty City style. Home to many of Liberty City's more affluent gangsters, Liberty City's commuter-belt is a patchwork of swimming pools, picket fences, backyards, basketball nets, street gangs and five car garages. It's littered with ostentatious mansions paid for with bloody money, protected by high security guards and gates to keep out the gangs of bored teenagers looking for something to do to bring some excitement to their middle class existance. The designer dogs and the station wagons give a shallow serenity to suburbia, but don't be fooled. Violence and corruption are at the heart of every home.