So I've spent the majority of today doing something I'd never see myself doing again; Playing GTAIV. That's not to say it's a bad game, it's just awkward to have fun with once you've beaten it. So The Lost and Damned is like a breath of fresh air into a zombie corpse to me. Trust me, somehow that analogy is a good thing.

I'm sure most people here know the story by now, but for those that don't, here's a quick run down. You play Johnny, vice-president of The Lost, a biker gang from Alderney. When president Billy returns from a brief stint in jail, business quickly picks up, and the gang go back to their roots waging war against rivals The Angels Of Death. Soon enough that war catches attention from the police and other Liberty City inhabitants you'll have met during Niko's time in the city.

Admittedly, the story isn't as good as the original game's, but considering this is DLC it's pretty well thought out. There's some great meta-moments with Johnny and Niko, as well as a few other characters who I won't spoil. As for the new characters, they do a great if not cliche job of fitting the part. This is a GTA game after all, it's nothing new, but it's entertaining. Memorable characters include Johnny's go-to guy Jimmy, ex-girlfriend and complete junkie Ashley and Brian, who has his nose so far up Billy's ass he can't see properly. The plot is paced quite nicely through missions, with some side-tasks and activities which have nothing to do with the gang, so Johnny gets around Liberty City nicely.

As for the missions themselves, they don't disappoint. There's no tutorials here. No taking your girlfriend out, no bowling, no "Hay cusin!". It's just you, your guns and everyone else. It works wonders, supplying you with the weapons you need early on (Including a new semi-automatic pistol which fucking rocks, a combat shotgun and grenade launcher). Another new feature is that if you fail a mission past a certain checkpoint, when replaying it, you'll start from where you left off and not from the beginning. A lot of GTA missions have "pre-mission" parts, such as driving around or following someone, so this is a huge help. There are one or two "deja vu" moments too, which add a little spice to the game for people who have completed the original.

Another new aspect is that you no longer need to hang out with friends long enough to unlock their abilities, unlike GTAIV which required a certain amount of time being spent with them. You can call for guns ot bikes anytime you need, which really helps during the game, especially since this is just DLC. You'll get 2 safehouses, both of which on Alderney, so it can get frustrating to be so far away. But you can always call a cab just like before. There are also new activities such as gang wars, bike wars, arm wrestling and betting to do. Add to that new pidgeons and hidden people to find, and TLAD will keep you occupied for long enough.

If you're a fan of GTAIV, it's likely you'll have purchased this already, but if you haven't I strongly advise it. The missions are great fun (Especially the end one, as if that wasn't obvious enough), the characters are likeable and the new activities give you something else to do around Liberty City. One of the great things about The Lost And Damned is that it never slows down. There's never any mission that feels like filler, it always has something to do with the story. I can't speak for multiplayer since I'm not the biggest fan of GTA's, but hopefully someone else will post their thoughts on that soon.