My Quick Start Method:
Activate Counter attack, go to the ????? location in the middle of the map.
Make a Coffee.
Return to find yourself with the Terminator title.
Go back to first area, start playing.
It should take about 30 seconds with the Terminator and a melee weapon for you to fly up the levels, don't forget to activate smash, defense and mirage missile, regardless of what weapons you're using.
Early game skills(Skills with a positive stat to AP ratio):
Fireball A +13 int for 11 AP
Icebolt A +13 int for 11 AP
Lightningbolt E +2 int for 2 AP
Combat Mastery D +30hp +6 str for 4 AP
Critical Hit C +12 will +65% crit damage for 9 AP
Blacksmith D +3 dex/int for 3 AP
Range Mastery +4 dex for 1 AP
Recommend Blacksmith first to allow safe smithing of +1 items, followed by enough in the bolt spells to counter the -20 int from the Terminator title and increase cast chance.
if you want to get the terminator title easy, just turn on counter strike, go to the maelstrom in the middle, and kick back relax and wait til you counter
end game strategy is pretty straight forward if you remember to keep your public/press maxed, you can buy out the first 2 areas pretty easily, max them out in the process, when raiding the last 2 families aim to have around ~200 mobsters with tommy guns, and hit all 4 districts at once with 50 guys, then just buy back whatever area they took from you.