Since back in the day when Mortal Kombat was the coolest, beat-em-up game you could get yours hands on, people around the country have blamed violent video games for the poor choices many kids have made. Last night's episode took that one step farther, but this time a violent video game was only partly to blame. Miami college students are committing crimes (robbery, hostage-taking, attempted rape) and Wolfe starts noticing similarities between the crimes and the storyline of a video game he's been playing recently called "Urban Hellraisers." The basis of the game is pretty much the same as the current popular Grand Theft Auto series, and ironically, the first sequel of that series takes places in a 1980's Miami-esque clone. The students are reenacting each level of the video game - taking down a bank and shooting at cops, all the while keeping "score" with pocket-sized click counters.

Of course, I love video games just as much as the next guy, but you don't see me putting on bright-red overalls and jumping into green sewer pipes now do you?

The CSI team tracks down the students involved with the crime spree, and it should be noted that each member has a super cool code name like "glasses" or "wizard." The developer of the game won't give Horatio or Det. Tripp any info on the game and Wolfe is forced to play it and unlock the levels in an attempt to figure out what the next hit will be. Wolfe reaches level three (a police station) just in time to warn Horatio that the CSI lab may be next on the list. Two masked students enter through an elevator, but H takes them out first. The guns used are traced back to a photographer, and it's learned that he has ties to the video game's developer. The schmuck developer had paid off the photographer to hand out the guns to anyone who knocked on his door and gave the proper password. That's one heck of a way to drum up publicity for a new video game. In the end, the player with the highest score (known as "demon") turns out to be a female who just wanted to fit in with the guys. True fact though, I think girls get way hotter after they rob a bank and take out a cop or two.

Despite the cheesy storyline, I loved this episode because it advanced the personal sub-plots of all the team members (except Horatio). Right from the beginning, we know Delko is still having problems because his ATM account is depleted. What's he spending all his money on... mmm, drugs? Calleigh has another close encounter with the dashing US Treasury specialist Peter Elliott, but it looks like she waited too long because Petey got engaged to some brunette fox. And then the best part: CBS got clever and made you check out the website for a special extended ending. Wolfe is still willing to talk to Erica, but this time she had news for him. She tells Wolfe that... oh, go watch it for yourself and then tell me what you think.