LittleBigPlanet PSP

Could Sackboy make the transition to Sony's compact and bijou PSP after playing about on the PS3 a year past? Will the game still be as playable and loveable as before? Yes! So that's this review over but just in case you're not sure of the phenomena...

LittleBigPlanet PSP is a platform game. In both the original and this instalment you manoeuvre your virtual knitted companion, Sackboy, around environments and negotiating increasingly trickier puzzles. What makes the game so rich is not only Sackboy but the surroundings themselves. They're designed with a childlike innocence that endears both younger and older players. You can dress Sackboy in clothing that you find around the levels to make him uniquely yours and plaster the area with stickers, which either open up more possibilities or because that place needed a sticker, didn't it!

If there was a criticism of the PS3 iteration it would have to be about the three "dimensions" - forward, middle and back - and the jumping. Jumping was particularly inaccurate at times and this made for sudden difficulty spikes: upsetting for children and then equally upsetting for the parents trying to complete the levels for their offspring. Both these factors are resolved with Sackboy now jumping like an Olympic gymnast and only two "dimensions" of forward or back. Add to this a system that automatically moves him forward or back to ease certain jumps and puzzles and the player feels in complete control.

This makes for a marvellous experience as you take Sackboy through a variety of fun filled levels. As ever you're first "mellowed" into the affair by Stephen Fry's dulcet tones and each time a new ability becomes apparent there's a small tutorial you can sit through to explain the functions.

The levels are well suited to the nature of the console too and sometimes their quality beggars belief on Sony's handheld. It looks beautiful and moves well with many of the features mimicking the original or bettering it. The Popit menu (effectively the toolbar) is exactly the same too allowing the same level of accessibility to stickers, clothing and other features. Sackboy has to be a little small on the screen so you can see the level about you and this can mean that the subtler changes in clothing or appearance can be lost but doesn't effect game play one jot.

One of the features of both the original and here is the level designer. It initially seems like a simple tool but the enormity of creating a level will be too much for younger players and takes time. If there's one complaint of the PSP version here it's the fact this area could have been reduxed heavily to make it more accessible.

If you do pull it off you can upload these to the net where many others are available for download too. These can be stored on your PSP for later play and connecting your PSP to a PS3 with the LittleBigPlanet can speed this process and also allows you to get at the PS3 content.

This means there's masses of content out there for you to play and enjoy without having to design anything yourself. Enjoy a particular online level? Then it's recommended to look at others designed by the same person for continued satisfaction.

LittleBigPlanet on the PSP is enjoyable value for money and well suited for travel entertainment as well as just relaxing at home. The link to the PS3 is non essential and there's lots of content still available if you can't or don't. A recommendation for the PSP.