Once Frankie has taken the truck off your hands at the abandoned mansion on Sacramento Avenue - to complete the mission Truck Hustle - you'll be able to access the assassination side-missions. Now, whenever you get a hankering for some hitman action, head to the payphone across the road from the weapons shop in Alderney. Here you'll liaison with a man known only as "Fixer", who represents clients with certain... 'unsavoury' requests. Over the phone he'll hand down instructions regarding the target and his/her location, in addition to providing a small stock of weapons and a body armour vest nearby. More often than not these items won't be necessary, but it's always worth nabbing some free weaponry when the opportunity arises.

In total there's nine different assassination missions, with each additional one unlocked via the completion of the previous. Just like Stevie's text message vehicle thefts, the assassination missions are offered in random order, and are classed as side-missions, thus not essential to progress the story (but still counting towards your total completion statistic). Pro tip: It's usually better for Niko's health to avoid close quarters combat where possible. As such we recommend you always be equipped with a sniper rifle and/or an RPG - these will prove invaluable in taking out the targets from a safe distance.

1. Bailing Out for Good.
2. Dead End.
3. Derelict Target.
4. Hook, Line and Sinker.
5. Industrial Action.
6. Migration Control.
7. R.U.B. Down.
8. Taken Out.
9. Water Hazard.

As the name of this missions suggests, your target is leaving the local cop shop. If you can manage to drop him before he reaches his vehicle, great - otherwise, just tail him in your own and riddle his with bullets. The only really major thing to look out for in this mission is the presence of police - naturally there's plenty around. As long as you can keep your car moving you should be able to successfully avoid getting busted, as resting at the wheel of a stationary vehicle makes you a sitting duck for an arrest.

Unless you're really quick (utilizing a taxi's 'trip skip' feature is the only option here), you won't be able to easily pass this mission by blowing up the target's Patriot before it arrives at its ultimate destination. This means that most likely you'll have to get your hands dirty as there's quite a few men you need to waste to achieve success. Just be quick and ruthless in your onslaught - a submachine gun or assault rifle works well here - and you shouldn't be unduly bothered by the number of enemies. A well placed grenade wouldn't go amiss, either...

Arguably the hardest of the assassination missions, and you'll definitely want to grab the goodies the Fixer provides for this one. Your task is to enter an abandoned multi-storey building and to eliminate a number of armed guards. Although technically you need only eliminate the three marked targets, you're going to have a hard time doing so if you ignore the guards littered throughout the building. Remember to snipe as many goons as you can from outside before going close quarters. Once inside, switch to a weapon with a rapid rate of fire and keep attacking. There's not a great number of places to hide or take cover so you're going to have to be brazen in your fight.

After hanging up the payphone, you're instructed to get to the target's location. Once you start getting close, it becomes evident that he's not on land at all, but rather out on the water enjoying a leisurely boat ride. At this point the game strongly hints that you pursue in the unattended boat nearby, keeping in line with the offering of an MP5 as the relevant weapon by the Fixer. This is a perfectly valid approach; however - as per our pro-tip - you might find it easier to equip a sniper rifle and - as long as you can get a decent shot on him - take the target out from shore. Either way works.

The Fixer informs you that his client would like you to deal with three targets at the Acter Industrial area. Adding to the degree of difficulty, this time not only do you have to take out the three targets, but as becomes evident upon arrival at the scene, you'll have to deal with each's bodyguards as well. Luckily though, if you follow our advice and bring an RPG with you, this won't pose a major problem. Scale the scaffolding until you're on equal height as the first bunch of targets (you'll know as the red icons on your radar will lose their up arrows). Carefully aim the RPG at the centre of the men and pull the trigger. If your aim was decent, you'll have taken out a considerable number without too much trouble.

Here's where the weapon the Fixer left you comes in handy - whip out the assault rifle and quickly take down any of the survivors. From here it's just a matter of positioning yourself well enough to be able to get to the last few stubborn targets. You might find a sniper rifle comes in handy if you have to compromise a close position for a superior angle. Once you've finally dealt with the last remaining man and there's no more red dots on your radar, the mission is complete. Niko will notify the Fixer and you'll be up for your next assignment.

The target this time is situated above the Booth Tunnel entrance in Alderney. Jump in a vehicle and follow the location marked on your radar. Once you get the target in your sight, it becomes apparent that he's about to take off in a helicopter. Guards are present and will attack you if you begin to open fire. However, unlike the mission Industrial Action, these guards are not considered additional targets - your sole aim is the guy fleeing to the skies. Taking him out will end the mission irrespective of the guards' health. Thus, since time is of the essence (you have to eliminate the target before he gets away), the best course of action is to focus all of your efforts on getting a good shot on the chopper before it takes off. Naturally an RPG comes in handy here.

You've been asked to eliminate a group of bikies engaging in a drug deal. A single well-placed rocked will pass the mission without issue, however if you're not brilliant at judging where best to fire the RPG you might want to quickly switch to an assault rifle to finish off any remaining bikers. If you're too slow they'll flee and it's much harder to catch them once they get going.

The target is being chauffeured around Alderney City in a white Stretch limousine, represented once again by the red blip on your radar. Again the RPG will work wonders here, but it's just as fun - if perhaps less effective - to ram the limo into oblivion. No matter your preference, once the limo is out for the count, the mission is over.

Like Hook, Line and Sinker, your target is out on the water. This time however it's a much simpler task as he's relatively close to land and it's easy to scope out a useful vantage point. A sniper rifle is the best option here - one clean shot and it's all over.