Whilst watching the film The Warriors, I was struck with one thought - there may be no other movie in existence that is so suited for a video game conversion by Rockstar Games. All the perfect elements are there ' gang warfare, colourful characters, bad language, total disrespect for society, and underneath it all the ingenious creation of a world that is at once fictional yet very possible.

Thank god then that Rockstar didn't fluff it up. The Warriors is one of the closest film-to-game adaptations that I have seen. The opening scene of the game is the opening scene of the movie, recreated in CG, complete with most of the original actors' voices and soundtrack.

The Warriors is set mostly as a prequel to the film, and the game explains how The Warriors gained enough infamy to be invited to a large meeting of gang delegates. In the film, The Warriors get blamed for the death of Cyrus, leader of the Gramercy Riffs, the biggest gang in the city, as he is on the cusp of uniting all the gangs to form an army of soldiers that would outnumber the police fivefold. The film itself, 90 minutes of The Warriors trying to get from the meeting place back to their headquarters in Coney Island, busting plenty of gang heads along the way, is replicated in the latter stages of the game - very impressively, I might add, recreating actual scenes from the movie and incorporating them into the gameplay. But a lot of the fun is had early on, building up The Warriors' rep, which invariably involves killing or maiming as many other gang members as possible.

Though The Warriors is primarily a beat-'em-up, don't let the genre tag fool you. Some levels play out like a street top film chase, jumping across roof gaps to evade gangs, or even an on-rails button masher as you run to escape imminent death, or part-sneaker as you wait in a dark alley for the heat from the cops to cool off. Rockstar has definitely tried to keep the mission objectives varied and interesting. It will have you tagging sprays one minute, then seeking out your arrested brothers the next, as well as picking locks, stealing car radios and raiding shops for cash.

Describing the overall gameplay of The Warriors is quite difficult, but it definitely feels like a cross between GTA San Andreas and Manhunt (now banned in Australia). San Andreas because there are a lot of tagging missions where the Warriors' 'writer' must let all the other gangs know they've been there (tagging is itself a mini-game, requiring you to direct the spray with the analogue stick), and Manhunt because of the violent fighting mechanics and, surprisingly, a few stealth areas, which allow for surprise takedowns from the shadows.

The graphical presentation is also similar to Manhunt, and while not exactly mind-blowing, includes graphical flairs like surface reflections under streetlights (the road looks cool on the right angle) and damage effects (cut faces and bruises) to both the Warriors and your opponents. The amount of effort Rockstar put into getting the characters to look like the actors, as well as their hair styles and clothes, is very noticeable. New York also looks appropriately dingy and an air of fear lingers over the streets as gangs roam the night. The result is very atmospheric, even if the graphics are a little ordinary in places.

The Warriors sticks extremely close to the feel of the movie, and if you're a fan then you'll love taking the pain to gangs such as The Orphans, The Destroyers, and my personal favourite The Baseball Furies, plus many more along the way. Aiding you in this mission of total street anarchy is a strong fighting system that sees the entire Xbox controller put to use. It can be a little confusing at first, but after a little while you'll be pulling off combos and street muggings in no time.

Did I say muggings? You bet ya, you see money is a big thing for a street gang, and is especially handy for buying spray cans to make your mark and for scoring flash (health packs) off of street corner dealers. The Warriors aren't fussy how they get money - you can go up to anyone and mug them, though you'll get less cash from street bums than from respectable looking folk, as well as steal car radios and raid shops. Cause too much damage and the cops might turn up, but perhaps that's what you secretly wanted - so you can lay a sledgehammer into the fuzz.

Weapons can be anything on the street, including bricks, bottles, bits of broken wood, knives, pool cues, molotov's. . . There are heaps of items just lying around to be used. Get it right and you'll be treated with an extremely graphic close up of your weapon entering various parts of your opponent (usually the head). I'm afraid to say it, but it's really satisfying to do so, and may have you grinning from ear to ear as you smash a brick into some poor bastard's face! It's possible to throw several weapons, by either aiming manually or throwing it in the general direction of your foes. Bricks and bottles are also handy for creating distractions so you can slip past sentries.

Most of the missions involve The Warriors going up against another gang. So there is always a lot happening at the same time, and scenarios of ten or fifteen guys per side squaring off against each other are quite common. To aid you in controlling your gang, you can choose from a series of six Warchief Commands, including 'Watch My Back!', 'Wreck 'Em All!', and 'Mayhem!'. Most of the time, your team acts coherently, but often you will need to instruct them to cover you whilst you lay down a tag, or get them to wreck everything in sight.

Lovers of San Andreas may find The Warriors a little too constricting, as the levels are quite small (with some being real rabbit warrens) and the story is very linear. However, there is the option to complete bonus missions within the main story missions, and you can go back and complete extra objectives via the central hub of your hideout.

There is also a multiplayer 'Rumble Mode', which is basically a gladiator style mode where you and a partner choose your gang and are put into an area with another gang until only one team remains standing. It was quite hilarious to go one team comprised of drunken street bums, though their fighting style was so dismal we promptly got creamed!

But that's not all; another player can also take control of another Warrior and, if so desired, play the entire story mode co-operatively with you! This is a great addition, and plays extremely well, especially given that the second player can enter and leave at any time in any mission! If you need to split up, the screen will split up too, which can be a little confusing, but definitely saves those frustrating stuck-in-the-corner-can't-see-anything moments so common in co-op games. There are actually quite a few multiplayer options that get unlocked as you complete the game, including capture-the-flag (with a chick instead of a flag) and wheelchair racing, plus a heap more.

Though the fighting engine is very strong, at times the controls do feel a little unresponsive, and often you'll pull off a move without meaning to, or will get frustrated at not being able to grab your opponent (this happens if they are stronger than you or your grab power is low). There's also very little here for people who either didn't like the film, or don't like beat-em-ups. And if strong language isn't your thing, then best steer clear of this game, as you'll hear more f-words than a day spent around your average construction site.

The Warriors does tend to get a bit samey towards the end, and some missions are actually very long, more like four or five missions strung together, which can cause some heart thumping moments before the blessed 'auto-saving' graphic shows up. But this is made up for by mid level checkpoints, so even if you do die, you often get put back only a little while before your death. Lengthwise, The Warriors will keep you occupied for a good 10-15 hours, that's without taking full advantage of the bonus missions, rumble mode, or playing through it again co-op with a friend.