Pros: More variety in gameplay than previous games, more vehicles. More everything.
Cons: Wanton swearing, sexual content, recycled engine; frankly quite unrealistic.
The bottom line: This game was received favorably by the public status quo. However, I still find that it has fairly glaring drawbacks. Average game.
When is too much?

Admittedly, that question doesn't make a lot of sense at first glimpse. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas certainly tries to deliver on providing all of the greatness achieved in GTA3 and Vice City - and more! Let's just list off the most outstanding innovations to this game, shall we?

The protagonist of this game is Carl Johnson, who moved to Liberty City five years before the start of the game, and is now moving back to San Andreas to sort problems out within his old neighborhood, including gang violence, drug dealing, and eventually corrupt cops.

REAL-TIME ROLE-PLAYING!
Yes; your character can evolve and devolve on a day-to-day basis. On the left-hand corner of your screen you can see a series of meters determining your player character's current status - Muscular strength, Stamina, Fat, Sex Appeal, etc.. Overtime, these stats may change depending on what items you pick up, what you have to eat at the local restaurant, or how often you work out at the gym. Invariably, your personal stats can affect your progress through the game.

MORE CITY LOCATIONS THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT!
GTA: San Andreas takes the amount of location space found in GTA3 and just about doubles it. The player can now explore a vast array of locations within the game: Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas, and the inhospitable San Andreas desert. Eventually, in a brief mission sequence, the player takes a trip to Liberty City - but I won't spoil the details for you.

AIRPLANES!
And to get to Liberty City, the player will have to fly an airplane, right?

Airplanes of all types can be controlled by the player; small planes, airliners, private jets, experimental aircraft, military helicopters, and many more. Flying around the cities freely is quite a breathtaking experience, albeit a very difficult one. Obviously the expanse of vehicles the player can control has increased greatly.

So with all that in mind, this must be the greatest game in history, correct?

GUTTERMOUTHS'R'US
Players used to the subtle yet sharp use of adult language and content in Vice City may be surprised - either pleasantly, or unpleasantly - at the amount of expletives uttered a minute in San Andreas. This is not limited to "stub-my-toe," "sprain-my-knee" frequency; characters will cuss profusely and in wanton levels in this game. That there "M" rating isn't just a letter, partner!

Sex, an ordinarily taboo theme in gaming, is also exploited in this game via the in-built "radio," where nearly every commercial or every station break contains a reference to sex or bestiality. Eventually the player will also come to be intimately acquainted with a variety of girlfriends in the game (more so if you are one of the many who have the infamous "Hot Coffee" patch).

So your sensibilities are already offended. Well, it's not like you weren't warned by the big "M" on the box. You'll probably still let your children play this anyway. Hey, not like it's any different than what they hear in the high school locker room.

SAME ENGINE... AGAIN?
One would think that after a good three years, at least, there would be a drastic improvement to the game's graphics and gameplay engine. Yes, graphics aren't everything, but after a while it does turn out to be a bit of an eyesore looking at papier-mache trees and gratuitously under-rendered scenery.

The enemy AI has been changed; some for better, some for worse. Obviously the "rambo effect" has been lowered significantly and one cannot have a perpetual standoff against groups of underarmed officers. Driving on major highways where the speed limit is particularly high can be rather scary - cars in adjacent lanes will often switch without warning, inevitably causing crashes, which tend to result in rather profuse pile-ups.

In exchange for more favorable (to the reviewers) aspects of gameplay, the designers clearly decided to throw realism to the wind.

MY CONCLUSION AND VERDICT:
A good game. However, I would not rate it as one of the best in my book. With any luck, Grand Theft Auto IV should surpass my expectations and make up for any lacking qualities in San Andreas.