Price: £39.99 Players: 1 Crash Bandicoot needs no introduction and really the only difference for "The Wrath of Cortex" is that it's the first outing for Crash B on the PS2. You run, you jump, you collect the apples and end-of-level purple gems through over 30 stages devised by the evil Dr Cortex and based around the four elements, Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. This time round Crash has a new "tip-toe" move and extra vehicles to move around in such as jeeps, a scooter and, my favourite, the gyroscope, which means that in addition to the usual run-jump melee, you have levels that feel akin to the 80s arcade classic, Marble Madness, with the rumbling vibration in the joypad really giving you a sense of atmosphere as you roll around. Crash's friends will also pop up along the way to be controlled including his sister Coco.

The graphics and sound aren't breathtaking, but they are perfect for the job that they do. I failed to see any clipping along the way and couple that with the smooth textures, shadows and the speed at which it moves along and there's plenty of eye-candy to keep anyone happy. I've only played one Crash game in the series beforehand - the second one on the first Playstation - and I was a bit concerned here how I'd handle the away-from-the-screen running sections when someone's after you, such as the dragon, but you just need to keep your wits about you and assume that if you've passed a hole in the ground on one side, the next hole is most likely due to be on the other. Of course, don't take that for granted just in case. You'll also find yourself performing moves along the way that you didn't think you would manage. In fact, I only have one complaint about Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex - the excessive loading times between levels. They do get irritating. The only other thing you could level one at is the originality, but then to do that at an arcade game is to miss the point and you should be enjoying the fact that it's a great piece of fun that anyone can pick up and play instantly.

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001.