GRAND THEFT ARAB III
An expose by
The Prawn Post

Holidays, oh how we love them ... especially Christmas because it's Jesus' Birthday, but not in the Middle East.

The Prawn Post was sent an e-mail by a young British boy who asked for the smash-hit game Grand Theft Auto III for Christmas of 2001, what he got was something very different, here's the e-mail.

Dear The Prawn Post,
My name is Timmy, I am 13 years old and asked for the great game Grand Theft Auto III for Christmas.

Unfortunately in Britain it has an 18 certificate which means Mum and Dad wouldn't buy it for me, instead I got Midnight Club Racing, which is a great game, but I really wanted Grand Theft Auto III.

My father recently took a trip to the Middle East in 2002 as he travels alot for business, and after months of pleading he promised me he'd buy me the game from a Duty Free shop over there. (they are PAL territory also).

He got back and I eagerly opened the gift to find a game called "Grand Theft Arab III"!!!!

It plays just like Grand Theft Auto III, but all the visuals have changed. Can you tell me why?

Sincerely,
Timmy

Well Timmy, due to cultural differences, in the Middle East the only version of Grand Theft Auto III available for sale is a specially created Arab version to appeal to certain cultural aspects of the Muslim population (majority) called "Grand Theft Arab III".

Yes it is the same game play-wise, but visually speaking it is worlds apart.

For instance there are no Hookers, all men have beards, all women wear at least a Hijab, and all English writing has been translated into Arabic ... sometimes giving it a different meaning.

You are very lucky to own this version as it's not allowed for sale or export outside the Middle East (and your Dad's lucky he made it home in one piece too!).

For our Prawn Post readers, here a couple of screenshots from the game "Grand Theft Arab III" so you can spot the differences.

Enjoy.

(Grand Theft Auto III and Midnight Club Racing are owned by Rockstar Games. All images on this page are property of Rockstar Games with modifications made by this site. This page is a parody and protected under the United States Constitution, in no way is it a sign of disrespect for either Rockstar Games or anyone else.)

(PS - All Arabic language text in the pictures was just inserted at random keystroke and the author assumes it does not make sense or translate. The author is not skilled in the Arabic language, these pictures are for entertainment purposes only.)