It's business as usual as for what's to be done in the game, albeit EA has beefed up the content to nearly double the content of the PlayStation 2 version, as an on-hand producer briefed us. On paper, it amounts to more contract hits, four new family compounds to romp, a pair of added transportation hubs (in the form of ship and rail yards), the added ability to talk it up with the ladies of the night for the scoop on crooked cops, as well as two new paths to take your character down in the quest for becoming Don.

The latter feature incorporates some lite RPG elements based on how you approach certain context-sensitive tasks. Going the Sonny Corleone route of kicking ass and taking names boosts your intimidation skills as an Enforcer, eventually rewarding you with applicable bonuses like infinite ammo. If you favor words over your fists, a la Tom Hagen, the role of an Operator may find you well, where successful negotiating can earn you the ability to call in a full squad of support when you need it. From the looks and sounds of it, doing such would cost a pretty penny, but their assistance could prove essential when finding yourself in a pinch (as we found when starting trouble with the Barzini Mob).

As an added bonus (for those unfamiliar with the 360 version, at least) comes the Corleone Challenges, which pits you against a number of timed objectives and posts your results on an online leaderboard. These challenges, as we were told, would be reasonably mob-relevant, like seeing how many banks you could hit up in so many minutes (the company blurb lists Road Rage, Killing Spree, and Safe Cracker as a few of those included). On top of simply tracking how you fared, the online portion is said to take into account many of your skills and conditions, such as you rolling money count.

Now unquestionably, it's only to be expected that The Don's Edition should make some notable leaps over its predecessors now that it's running on state-of-the-art hardware. And running at 720p, the game certainly had its strengths. We took particular interest in the lighting, as a leisurely cruise down 48th St. brought forth many an attraction: pooling street lamps, the warm neon buzz of a flower shop sign, and break lights that exuded a deep glow as we came to a screeching halt. And given the timeless scenery of endless edifices and the assorted population, we felt none too hesitant to reacquaint ourselves with the half-century old New York City streets.

It'll be interesting to see the final turnout of the game once March arrives. For PlayStation 3 owners who've yet to experience the inter workings of the Corleone Family, The Don's Edition may prove itself a worthy way to get the full kit 'n' caboodle of what EA has to offer in the franchise. But as for that remaining crowd who may have very well poured tens of hours into the original, we can only hope that the added content and online interaction is worth its weight in gold and incentive enough to throw down another $60. We'll have our verdict when the time comes, but be sure to check back for further updates in the two months or so before it's out.