Undeniably, the successful 80’s immersion accomplished by Vice City was first and foremost a product of its incredible soundtrack. That music soundtrack fills seven cd’s, all of which are now available in the Vice City Official Soundtrack Box Set. If you’re a fan of 80’s music, then there isn’t a better box set to buy.

The lists of artists secured for this soundtrack is amazing: Michael Jackson, INXS, Bryan Adams, Wayne Chung, Lionel Ritchie, Kool and the Gang, and the Pointer Sisters to name a few. But if pop isn’t your thing, you can tune into Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden , Twisted Sister, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax and America’s favorite father, Ozzy Osbourne—among others. Tuning into "emotion" radio will give you such notables as Foreigner, Reo Speedwagon, Mr. Mister, and Luther Vandross. The 80’s rap scene is alive with Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash abd the Furious Five, Herbiw Hancock and Davy DMX, among many others. There’s even a cool section featuring 80’s Latin music, which is full of people I’ve never heard of, you’ve probably never heard of, but is still pretty cool. Each CD reflects one radio station from the game and comes complete with DJ chatter for a little extra immersion.

If you’ve played Vice City extensively, the prospect of putting in the Vice City soundtrack while actually cruising the streets in a real vehicle is, well, a little frightening, but also pretty cool. Here’s what’s better: the PS2 may have secured an exclusive on the Vice City game, but everyone can buy the soundtrack. That means you can pick-up the Vice City box set, rip the whole thing onto your X-box hard drive, and put the Vice City soundtrack to any game you damn well feel like. The combination of DJ talk and music actually makes for some incredible combinations with various games, and I highly recommend the experience.

While the MSRP is $49.99, most on-line retailers are selling it for $39.99, which is less than $6.00 per CD—a pretty good rate if the above sampling sounds good to you. Individual CD’s are also for sale for those who would prefer only one genre. So for those longing for the tunes of the decade of decadence, this is for you. Let’s face it. You’ll have a hard time finding another box set with Michael Jackson—I don’t think there is one. This isn’t just a videogame soundtrack; it’s the premier 80’s box set.