Hollywood has long had a penchant for Mafioso-style gangster movies. Scarface (both the 1932 original and its 1985 update), The Departed, Casino, Goodfellas, Donny Brasco, Road to Perdition, The Godfather and even comic takes such as Analyse This are but a select few of the many that have been released since the invention and widespread acceptance of the medium, all to an eager and willing audience. You would think that with all its violence, shootings and made-for-gaming beat 'em up moments that this genre would be a fertile ground for quick and easy videogame inspiration, especially given the relative youth of our industry. Yet only recently has the medium of gaming even attempted to catch up with Hollywood. Not until Grand Theft Auto III did the Mafioso game really found its feet. Maybe this is in part because of the implied complexity of the genre; the extortion, racketeering, bribery and turf wars, plus the fact that the lead character is often an unstable and on the edge anti-hero and no-one really wins - there's a hidden sophistication and depth that is only just being realised thanks to the PS2-era of consoles and their descendants.

Nintendo have often shied away from subject matter such as this for its own commercial reasons rather than a worry about their ability to handle the subject matter, yet times are changing and the industry is maturing, along with its interactive audience. A case in point is The Godfather: Blackhand Edition on the Wii, a concept that a few short years ago would have seemed not just unlikely but flat out contradictory.

The Godfather loosely follows the plot of the first film and maybe it's in part due to a better understanding of the medium but - much like Scarface: The World Is Yours - The Godfather follows along a path of re-imagining its acclaimed namesake. Starting out as a lowly grunt on the mob ladder, your overriding aim is to work your way up the ranks of the Corleone Family until you become the next Don of New York City. That will take some time though, as along the way there are many missions to complete, merchants to harass and people to blackmail, as well as your need to 'earn some respect'.

First things first though - if you want to be Don then you've got to look the part. EA's trademark presentation is visible throughout this title and although it is not without its faults (such as not being able to move the game map when its legend is being displayed), nowhere the quality more evident than in MobFace, an extremely comprehensive character editor where you are given the chance to create and customise your avatar's facial appearance. Everything from your hairstyle, eyebrows and smile lines through to scars, moles and eye bags is covered, although you can of course use the default provided, or choose a random appearance. Clothes can be selected from the few choices that are initially available, but once you have earned some cash, a visit to the tailor can be arranged, in order to purchase further attire to dress your character exactly to your liking. Should you later decide you are not happy with your facial features, you can even pay a quick visit to the barbershop and remodel your appearance.

Beginning a full nine years before the start of the movie, the scene for your character is set before fast forwarding to 1945 and Connie Corleone's wedding. With Luca Brasi as your mentor, you learn the basics of mob life before the events of the movie catch up with him. From there on in you are on your own, although you still get guidance from pop-up objectives that can be recalled from the menu screen. Often these objectives are missions to complete or people to go and see, but equally there is some downtime where your only objective is to extort businesses. This latter part is necessary to increase the Corleone turf and to boost your income.

Whilst several of the missions follow along with the movie, none of them contradict its canon - other than Al Pacino's Michael being conspicuous by his alteration in voice and appearance due to image rights. Other than this one unavoidable change, the missions simply show the story of The Godfather: Part I from different angles. For instance, good use is made of the attempted hit on Don Corleone, with your character supposedly taking cover in a nearby shop and then needing to rescue a fellow enforcer's sister from the hitmen before rushing the Don to hospital before he dies. The in-game menu also provides access to several other options, such as viewing all in-game stats, your career progression through the ranks from outsider to Don, your skills and available upgrades (which can be obtained once you have earned enough respect through fair means or foul), as well as tutorials on all the Blackhand motion controls, from which this game derives its subtitle. These are more than a neat touch and help validate the Wii's raison d'etre, compensating somewhat for its lack of graphical fidelity.

As expected, the Wii's motion sensor is put to good use. Attack moves are mostly handled by holding the Z button to lock onto an enemy and then flicking the remote or nunchuk in various directions. Pressing B also performs a grab on your opponent and from there you can slam him into walls by throwing your hands forward, or head-butt him by bringing your hands sharply towards your body. Slamming your opponent's head into a table or wall though is often the most rewarding move! Despite sounding intuitive, this does take some getting used to, having to unlearn the years of motionless control that we've all become used to. The rewards are most definitely worth it though, and extra moves are unlocked once your skills reach a certain level, as are movie snippets. The latter's use is dubious at best though, as whilst to a select few they might provide a necessary yet brief recap of the film, most fans will no doubt already own a higher definition version of the full movie. They thus feel more like an added-on extra, put there due to ease of inclusion and to pad out the title.

There are also some problems with the audio side of things, with the dialogue sounding muted at times, especially during cut scenes. Whilst there are many sound-bytes that are heard when walking around the streets of New York and interacting with its citizens, the best ones occur when extorting local businesses, with the to and fro between your enforcer and his victim suitably full of threatening wisecracks. In general the game is atmospheric, giving off a good feel for a grimy 1940s New York City, although the Wii's lack of graphical grunt is noticeable. However, it is questionable whether it will be as noticeable to those not used to a diet of high-definition graphics.

The Godfather: Blackhand Edition tries to make the most of its license and does so reasonably well. The motion controls add of the Blackhand Edition are a nice touch that provide the Wii with something exclusive, and they do add extra interaction into the gameplay, once you've got the hang of them. Although comparisons with Scarface are getting old by now, they are also unavoidable, and thus whilst the debate of which is the better movie still rages on, the turf war battle on the videogame front has only just begun, with The Godfather putting in a strong showing that at the very least puts the two games on even terms.

Reviewed by Dominick Hardy for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).