After the short teaser trailer for Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV was released this month, everybody has been itching to know more about what promises to be one of the year's biggest software successes. Although there's been no official word from its developer, Game Informer Magazine's Andrew Reiner managed to get a sneaky peek at what the fourth generation GTA has to offer - and he's shared his experiences with the world thank to the wonders of the Interweb.

He explains that although there are no planes or helicopters in the game (a previous revelation that has disappointed many fans), non-playable character AI has been improved from previous instalments and it is now possible to nab yourself a virtual girlfriend. According to the magazine journalist, he also did not see one single second of loading time in the short game demo he got his hands on:

"In terms of scale, it definitely feels more like a realistic city. It feels you are traversing New York City. As you've seen in the trailer, there are a number of ways to traverse this massive area," he says.

"The visuals are tremendous and easily some of the best I have seen. What's scary about this statement is that Rockstar North is still improving upon the visuals," Reiner continues.

"There's little question that it will be one of the best looking games come this holiday. As for the draw distance, I didn't see one building, car, streetlamp, or pedestrian pop up. The frame rate was also incredibly smooth and the lighting really couldn't have been much better."

Regarding the all-important driving sections, the Game Informer employee stated that the camera’s orientation is close to something like Rockstar's own racer, Midnight Club, giving a more detailed view of your ride.

"From what I was shown, the only new element was breaking the window of the car to get in. The animation for this was awesome, and something I wish I had seen more than once. The car I saw was newer in make - which was evidenced in both the beautiful crimson sheen and suspension that handled pot holes and variances in the road with ease."

"Now, I only saw one car, but it really did have that new car look to it. It'll be interesting to see how Rockstar handles the shocks and struts for other vehicles in the game."

Click over to GTAnet.com for the full low-down on Reiner's experiences.