April 7, 2009 - Whenever a company attempts to touch a well known and loved property, they tread into particularly dangerous territory. Go too loose with the interpretation, and you'll get roasted by fans and critics for completely abandoning the source material; too close and there's practically no point in making the game version at all. This was the tightrope that Electronic Arts had to walk with The Godfather II, an action title that attempts to follow some key elements of the acclaimed film. Adding in a healthy dose of strategy to aid fledgling Dons with their criminal empire, The Godfather II provides a good dose of entertainment, but the lack of difficulty holds the game back from truly becoming a great crime game.

Forget Robert De Niro and the tales of a young Vito Corleone in New York - The Godfather II focuses on Michael Corleone, starting with the meeting of the families in Havana to divide up Hyman Roth's empire. Unfortunately, the business is never concluded because the Cuban Revolution forces everyone to flee the country. As Dominic, a soldier of Aldo Trapani (the protagonist of the first Godfather game who has risen to run all of the Corleone business in New York), you wind up leading Michael, Fredo and Aldo to the airport in an attempt to flee. However, as you get to the runway, Aldo is shot and killed, prompting Michael to promote you into Aldo's place. The promotion comes with a significant burden, though: you need to re-establish control of New York, then expand to Miami and eventually Cuba to strengthen your family's control. Of course, other families will stand in your way, and it's up to you to eliminate them by any means necessary to aid in your domination of the crime world.