Everyone likes to be bad, at least some of the time. Rockstar Games’ “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” gives people a rare chance to do that.

In the third installment of the “Grand Theft Auto” series on Playstation 2, the gamer gets to be badder than ever. “San Andreas” is may even be more fun than setting a Dumpster on fire and rolling it down Lincoln Way.

The basic premise allows the gamer to control a returning exiled gang member — Carl “CJ” Johnson — in Los Santos, a city based on Los Angeles in the early ’90s, accompanied by a soundtrack of heavy metal and hardcore rap songs from the era. He must prove his worth by performing missions for a multitude of characters.

Most people will wonder why they should drop $50 on yet another “Grand Theft Auto” game when they can get the value pack with “GTA 3” and “GTA: Vice City” for less. “San Andreas” is more than worth the price.

For newcomers to the series, all of the classic “Grand Theft Auto” charm is available: controller-clutching race scenes through alleyways, freeways and dirt paths; plenty of gunfights and hand-to-hand combat with citizens, gangsters and municipal workers; and even timed RC missions are all there.

The area you get to explore is huge. It feels three times as big as “GTA: Vice City” with three cities — Los Santos, San Fiero and Las Venturas modeled after Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. Between lies wooded areas with a splattering of smaller towns.

The gameplay system went under a major change in “GTA: San Andreas,” and now CJ has skill ratings with all of the targeting weapons, driveable vehicles and some physical attributes like lung capacity, muscle and stamina.

Leveling up weapons allows for better accuracy and sometimes different abilities, like dual wielding. Who doesn’t want to run around town shooting people with desert eagles like in a John Woo film?

As far as guns go, there aren’t a whole lot of additions. This is slightly disappointing, but Rockstar got all of the old classics in there. CJ gets to use anything from katanas and chainsaws to AK-47s and Gatling guns, with new weapons like the desert eagle and hairspray.

Vehicles have also been upgraded from “GTA: Vice City,” with an abundance of planes and motorcycles — and the introduction of bicycles. The gamer can enter more buildings than in previous games and there are many side diversions, like playing pool and arcade machines.

Instead of wandering around looking for floating hearts to increase CJ’s health — which are still in the game — you can also stop by a local fast food place and fill him up on greasy goodness. After doing that, CJ will want to stop at the gym to burn off the fat and level up his stamina so he can run longer. This adds a level of customization over your character, but can also be a waste of time.

“San Andreas” has a lot of the same, but not enough to make gamers say “been there, done that.” It has enough new features and expansions of old gameplay ideas to keep “Grand Theft Auto” lovers glued to the screen.