GTA: Vice City is the prequel to GTAIII. tough graphic/looks/contents and freedom of things you can do is 10 times better tough.
You can fly helikopters, drive motorcycles/dirtbikes/speedbikes/harleys.
Pizza boy scooter, boats.
every single mission/event is part of the "story" if you will. you even gt a cell phone some annoying peeps call ya on

The music etc is just awsome

Timewise Vice City is set 20 years before GTAIII.
In GTAIII Lazlo (the host of Chatterbox station) mentioned he used to host a rockstation a long time ago.
in vice City hehe we can hear the young Lazlo doing his rock station

There is also 7 albums with the majority of the musical content from the game on them. (Sony music) and each album has the music of each station. I.e one V-Rock album (Lazlo's station)...
Vice City has much more appeal to just "cruise around and do silly stuff" than GTAIII ever had

Vice city made the Game of The year, heck even Ragnar Tørnquist plays it

Heh! I told a friend about Vice City and he bought it, haven't seen him since so guess he's still playing

The story is simple and hinted to you straight at the start.
Your Vince (i think that's his name) a crook *big surprise

*
You were betrayed/had to high tail out of Vice City to columbia or somewhere. now you back, for revenge and taking over the business of all the othe big guys and holding Vice City in your graps at your throne.
(I don't know the ending tough even if I did I wouldn't spoil it

Your path to power is odd tough.
Later you can buy land/buildings. like a icecream factory (that realy isnt into icecream production

A porn studio (director of the studio there is voiced by Dennis Hopper

import/export shop, shipyard etc. All generate income.
Heck you can buy your own stripclub even hehehe...
Ever wanted a really biig mansion with 2 garages, a limo, a boat in your own mansion dock/pier? you can get that in Vice City hehe.
vice City blends the story/content/freedom of choice/movemvejt nice indeed. there is barely a place you can't go to. you can also walk in7out of buildings. use elevators etc. you got a hotel room with a view even

Yeah i'm geeked, and as soon as I get my hands on a PS2 I'm getting Vice City as it's No1 on my list

proly half a year untila PC release comes so *shrug*