Clock in and clean up the streets

IN the mid-Nineties, when the original Grand Theft Auto was still in its planning stages up in Dundee, there was talk of making the player a policeman chasing down criminals, until someone sensibly decided it might be more fun to play the bad guy. The Precinct is a pertinent reminder that upholding the law can be just as entertaining. Your first day on shift involves a shootout with bank robbers and a high-speed pursuit, as well as locating the all-important hot dog van where you and your partner can chew the fat. Chases through Averno City, a very Eighties take on New York, are an obvious highlight, whether you're pursuing a villain on foot, in your squad car or taking to the skies in the police helicopter, trying to keep your spotlight focused on a suspect's vehicle for long enough to call in backup. What is surprising is how compelling performing your regular duties as a cop on the beat can be. Arresting a tagger for vandalism, searching him for any incriminating evidence and following the correct procedure for charging him down at the station is strangely satisfying, as is issuing tickets for those thoughtlessly parking on the pavement. And there’s a delicious irony in smashing through the central reservation, knocking down several streetlights and terrified pedestrians in the process, all to fine a driver for going 55 in a 50 zone.

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The dialogue can be a bit clunky and it doesn’t offer quite the free