The Corner Penthouse

The Grand Theft Auto III Official Strategy Guide for PlayStation 2 is one of the worst Official strategy guides you could ever buy. Sure it covers all of the missions, but some of them are not covered any more fully than what you get from playing the game itself. It briefly covers SOME of the side jobs and non-mission tasks, but an Official guide should cover ALL of them! There is no detailed information on the Rampages and Unique Jumps, and the Hidden Packages are only covered with a map and short sentence. DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE GOOD REVIEWS THIS BOOK RECEIVED, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DESERVE THEM.

I own this guide and the one released eight months later for the PC version (Windows 98/2000/ME/XP). Although the PC guide is smaller (but much thicker) and in black & white (there are color maps in the back), it covers EVERYTHING (except cheat codes) about the game and with much more detail. Even if you own the Playstation 2 version of the game, you'd be better off buying the PC guide. The only difference gameplay wise are the controls mentioned in the book and a few little things like rewards for some of the vehicle missions.

Here is an excerpt from the author in the Acknowledgement's section of the PC guide:

"Beyond the satisfaction of playing the game a few more times, I was even more delighted to add features to this guide that I didn't have time to include in the PS2 guide. And with Tim Cox's phenomenal assistance, as well as his passion for the game, time was no longer the enemy. We are proud to bring you the most comprehensive Grand Theft Auto III guide in existence."

So, that explains why this guide (PS2) sucks. The author was rushed to complete the book, in time for the release of the game, no doubt. Right there in black & white the author of both guides tells you that the PC guide is the most comprehensive guide, and thus the best one. (I have no idea if the X-Box Double Pack guide is based on the PS2 or PC versions, so proceed with caution when getting that one.)

BradyGames posted some corrections on their website a long time ago (they have since been deleted). Luckily, I saved the text and the images.

Unique Jump Correction
(PS2: Page 14, PC: Page 230)
Sorry, the Callahan Bridge from Portland overlaps the Staunton Island map and obscures the location of the Unique Jump at the Newport Docks near Asuka's apartment. It's the jump near the docks on the mound of dirt found near the shipping area where all the truck trailers are located.



Missing 1st Rampage Location
(PS2: Page 15, PC: Page 226)
Waste 20 Triads with a shotgun. Trenton - in alley beside Mean Street Taxi.