In this last part of our guide to Gangstar: New Orleans we're going to walk you through some of the tips and tricks you're going to need to climb to the top of the criminal ladder. Is criminality a ladder? I honestly have no idea.

Anyway, we hope you've enjoyed reading through the guide, and that it's helped you chase your dreams of becoming the best (worst?) criminal that New Orleans has ever seen. That's the dream, right?

Without further ado, here's some words to lead you through that final stretch. And if you've got any ideas of your own to add, feel free to stick them in the comments at the bottom of the article.

Don't die

It might sound like a silly thing to say, but not dying is key to success in New Orleans. Mainly because it costs you currency every time your health bar drops to zero.

Soemtimes it's worth considering your options. Should you spend some gems to get a health pack and keep on breathing, or toss away a chunk of gold to the doctor once you've died.

Then of course there's the third option of just running away. That's obviously not so easy when you're playing one of the boxed-in missions, but if you're in the open world sections it's a perfectly viable strategy.

Check the time

One thing to remember is that the quicker you complete missions, the more stars you're going to get. If you're not getting three stars on a regular basis then it's definitely time to toughen up.

The reason you want to be hitting those three stars is so you can open up missions to send your thugs on. Everyone knows a real gangstar earns cash even when he's not playing.

Go explore

Keeping on the move is a good way to really learn the ins and outs of New Orleans. And a bit of local knowledge can definitely come in handy when you're playing a timed mission.

Sometimes a shortcut can be the difference between three stars and one star. And if you're anything like me you're going to want to make sure you're getting three stars all the time.