Las Vegas has a complicated relationship with the mafia. After all, modern day Las Vegas probably wouldn't exist without the money that the mob brought to town to build all of those fantastic resorts back in the 40s and 50s. Without places like The Flamingo and The Stardust, the city may have remained focused on Glitter Gulch and The Strip may not have ever become the playground it is today. So on the one hand, Las Vegas owes a debt a gratitude to the mob.

The Las Vegas Mob Experience at The Tropicana takes a look at the mafia in Las Vegas and elsewhere with a fun, high-tech, interactive concept that places it firmly in the "attraction" category and not in the "museum" category.

Yes, there are exhibits of memorabilia and personal effects from big figures in the world of organized crime. Bugsy Siegel's Packard and a desk belonging to Lucky Luciano are two big ticket items but there are guns, clothes, notebooks, photos, and much more to examine.

But before you get to all that museum stuff, you go through the attraction part first.

The facility is done as sort of an interactive dinner-theater experience, only without the dinner. You are assigned a mob nickname as you enter the Ellis Island set that is intended to pay homage to the mafia's entry into the US. Then you are greeted by one of several celebrity hosts - James Caan, Mickey Rourke, and various actors from The Sopranos, or at least virtual versions of them. Videos and 3-d holograms of them guide you through the experience, giving you tips, history, and a more than a few wise-guy cracks along the way.

They'll point out the people you need to talk to on your journey, from a shadowy figure in an alley who gives you an envelope to take to "Big Leo" to an Irish brogue spouting police officer who wants to know what you know! All of the actors are great character types who would be at home on any episode of The Sopranos.

I'm lousy at this kind of interaction - my brain just doesn't move quickly enough to go with the silly fun of it - but I recommend that you jump in with both feet and just be amused. Ironic detachment will get you nowhere here, especially since your actions during the experience will dictate how it ends. You might get "made," "whacked," arrested, or put into witness relocation.

The technological wizardry of the place is also impressive. In addition to the aforementioned holograms, there are motion activated videos and interactive displays including one that allows you to depress a plunger to watch implosion videos. Cool! Because of all that wizardry, there may be some tech hiccups along the way so be patient.

There are a couple of downsides. First, it's darned expensive for an attraction, especially when you've got a bunch of free ones all over town. But you do feel like you've gotten your money's worth so if you've got the extra cash, using it here is not a bad idea. The other is its location in the exhibition center at The Tropicana. This is really only a big deal if you have mobility issues because it is located about as far away from the entrance to the hotel as it can possibly get and still stay in Nevada.

But those are pretty minor quibbles. Overall this is a fun, lively, and entertaining way to engage with your inner Sonny Corleone.

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