Of vital importance, of course, is the city itself. Out go the wailing Starsky And Hutch cop sirens, in come old-school bee-baw numbers out go Studebakers and Cadillacs, in come Minis and Bentleys (well, they don't use the actual names, but close-as-dammit pseudonyms) and references to Michael Caine those shadowy Italian-American wiseguys who muttered at you down dark alleys in the original game are replaced by gruff, growling cockneys while the soundtrack consists largely of Sound Gallery-style cheesy listening workouts.įor some, this is worth the price of entry alone. If you're a Brit, it's a pleasing make-over.

Unless we're mistaken, stupid or just plain wrong, this is the first time 'Swinging London' in all its absurd Austin Powers glory has been used as the backdrop for a game. Now here's a welcome prospect: a mission pack for Grand Theft Auto that whisks the game away from its contemporary Stateside setting and sends it hurtling backward through the dark purple tunnel of time, leaving it stranded, kicking and screaming in old London town circa 1969.