America’s fascination with the Mafia is long documented. For decades, films like “The Godfather” and television series like “The Sopranos” have basked in the world of the Italian organized crime syndicate. Its current and former members tout it as a closed community that operates on trust, respect, and glory. Never mind that in reality they backstab, double-cross, and rat each other out at a higher frequency than any of the “Real Housewives” reality shows. No video game franchise adheres more closely to this fractured dream of a romanticized criminal subculture than “Mafia.”

Set in the ’40s and ’50s, “Mafia II” is jam packed with familiar plot devices pulled from classic movies like “Goodfellas” and “A Bronx Tale.” In the fictional city of Empire Bay, three Italian crime families hold control over most of the criminal underground. While the old fashioned Dons stick to the time-tested rackets of gambling, running numbers, and boosting goods, more adventurous young upstarts start dabbling in get-rich-quick schemes involving narcotics. This creates a friction that could break the alliance and pit the families against one another. This is the backdrop for Vito Scaletta’s rise.

Like a made guy dressed to the nines in a tailored suit, fedora, and a pair of Stacy Adams, “Mafia II” dresses the part. The new setting, Empire Bay, is a stunning recreation of a ’40s and ’50s American metropolis. From the war-time propaganda posters to the era-specific automobiles and radio tunes, “Mafia II” transports you to a time where American pride was at an all-time high, dames were called broads, and overt racism ran rampant through the segregated communities. The impressive attention to detail is most noticeable in the expertly crafted building interiors, which look like destructible sets pulled straight out of “Mad Men.”

Unlike “Grand Theft Auto’s” Liberty City, Empire Bay isn’t an open world playground overflowing with side quests and distractions. The world still feels like a living city, but “Mafia II” is a much more focused experience. You can buy new clothes, get your plates changed at the auto shop, and boost cars for cash, but that’s about the extent of your interaction with the city. The game is divided into story chapters, which allows the developers at 2K Czech to alter the weather, time, and city conditions in service of the missions. While explorative gamers may miss the freewheeling structure of games like “GTA” and “Red Dead Redemption,” those who never finish lengthy games will appreciate “Mafia II’s” direct storytelling.

The original “Mafia” stood out for its engaging missions, and the sequel follows suit. You still drive through the city for long stretches (this time without a clutch or constant harassment from traffic cops), but once you reach your destination the action unfolds in smartly scripted missions that feel different every time. These quests feature your standard blend of third-person shooting and driving sequences, with the occasional fistfight thrown in for good measure. The controls don’t depart drastically from genre conventions, though the finicky cover mechanics gave me trouble in tight quarters. For Vito to become a made man, he must earn his stripes selling stolen cigarettes on the streets, robbing jewelry stores, burying dead bodies, and taking on dangerous infiltration and assassination missions.

In an era when video games are moving away from relying on cinematics for storytelling, “Mafia II” draws on the rich mobster film history to weave a gripping drama about family, friendship, loyalty, betrayal and pragmatism. If you’re fond of quoting Don Corleone and Tony Soprano, don’t miss this game.

‘MAFIA II’

9 (out of 10)

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

2K Games, 2K Czech

ESRB rating: M for Mature

New game releases

The following titles were scheduled for release the week of Aug. 29:

• “Farmtopia” (DS)

• “Ferrari: The Race Experience” (PS3, Wii)

• “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” (DS)

• “Metroid: Other M” (Wii)

• “Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Episode 5: The City That Dares Not Sleep” (PS3, PC, Mac)

• “Ace Combat: Joint Assault” (PSP)

• “Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack” (Wii)

• “Castle Crashers” (PS3)

• “Valkyria Chronicles II” (PSP)

• “Dead Rising 2: Case Zero” (X360)

• “Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ultimate Edition” (X360, PS3)

• “Cthulhu Saves the World” (X360)

• “TNT Racers” (X360, PS3, Wii)

— Gamespot.com

Top 10

PC GAMES

The editors of Game Informer Magazine rank the top 10 PC games for August:

1. “Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty,” Blizzard Entertainment

2. “Mafia II,” 2K Games

3. “Singularity,” Activision

4. “Alien Swarm,” Valve

5. “Blur,” Activision

6. “Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom,” Ubisoft

7. “Splinter Cell: Conviction,” Ubisoft

8. “Transformers: War for Cybertron,” Activision

9. “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4,” Warner Bros. Interactive

10. “Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands,” Ubisoft

— McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Weekly download

‘Monster Dash’

For: iPhone/iPod Touch

From: Halfbrick Studios

iTunes Store Rating: 9+ (infrequent/mild profanity or crude humor, infrequent/mild horror/fear themes, infrequent/mild cartoon or fantasy violence)

Price: $1

No one born before yesterday will give “Monster Dash” credit for being original: It’s another derivative of “Canabalt,” and outside of giving players a weapon and some monsters to shoot, it doesn’t mess with the formula. For those unfamiliar with “Canabalt,” the gist is simple: The game’s main character is constantly and furiously running from left to right, and players must hit the jump button at the right times so the character leaps from platform to platform without falling to his demise. The longer he runs, the better your score. “Dash” adds its own small twist to the niche by populating the platforms with monsters and giving players a default pistol (and some clever collectible weapons) with which to dispatch them, but that little touch becomes a big touch when it effectively doubles the number of tasks that “Canabalt” asked players to perform. The appealing presentation — colorful cartoony graphics, a catchy soundtrack and a sense of humor in the menu screens — doesn’t hurt, either.

— Billy O’Keefe, McClatchy-Tribune News Service