Ratchet and Clank (PS2)

By JON MINIFIE

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Set in the future, Ratchet and Clank is a visual feast made up of spacious levels littered with towering skyscrapers and fleets of vehicles soaring through the skies, reminiscent of Blade Runner or Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

But all of this is just in the background. The real action is on the ground with our feline hero and his robotic backpack.

Platform gaming titles rely on only a few key factors. Strong lead characters and good control are a must, but nowadays you need more, you need nifty gadgets and engaging sidekicks -- though developers Insomniac insist that Ratchet and Clank is not strictly a platformer but more of an action-RPG.

Players assume the role of wisecracking mechanic Ratchet, who teams up with Clank, a humorous automaton who doubles as a utility backpack.

Together they set out to defeat the evil Chairman Drek, who is constructing a new planet to replace his dangerously polluted world and using his army of robots to silence any protests.

Ratchet and Clank is possibly the smoothest-looking game on the PS2 -- last year's Jak and Daxter is still one of the best-looking games on the system but this takes it a step further.

Unlike other platform titles, the onus is not on collecting as many random items as you can -- Clank uses a magnetic field to collect nuts and bolts and there are various power-ups -- but the idea is to kick butt, not hoard junk.

Ratchet and Clank features some very cool weapons including a Morph-o-Ray that turns enemies into chickens, a Teslaclaw that fires a bolt of electricity, and the soon-to-be-famous Suck Cannon -- no need for any explanation there.

There is a great feeling of freedom within the game, greatly aided by the fact that you can jump in your spaceship and fly away to a distant planet.

One of the biggest adventures ever for the PS2, the sheer size and playability of Ratchet and Clank make it perfect for younger (my 5-year-old nephew is hooked) and older gamers. Anyone who enjoys a highly polished product with a wicked sense of humour could fall in love with this.

$129.95

jon@tenthplanet.co.nz