The much flaunted PSP debut of God of War is finally with us here in the UK and it has certainly felt like a long time coming, but does Chains of Olympus live up to the hype that has generated around it? Read on to find out why this game is about as crucial to your PSP as the battery.

God of War: Chains of Olympus follows the story of Kratos as he tries to save the world from certain destruction. At the beginning of the game you find yourself in Attica helping to defend the city against the invading Persian forces and even at this early stage you begin to realise that this game could indeed be something special.

Some of action even at the start is quite impressive, one minute I was fighting against some army forces and then the next thing I knew a huge beast burst through the door, such was the scale of this beast on the PSP screen that it really took me by surprise, however this beast was nothing compared to the battle with the basilisk at the end of the first level.

Once you have taken care of the Persians, this is when the story starts to get really interesting, without giving too much away, Kratos eventually ends up in the land of the dead, where he must rescue the land from total destruction, some of the things you will see during these levels will leave you wondering why games this good haven’t reached the PSP before now, but that’s a different story entirely.

There is a lot that is impressive about Chains of Olympus but perhaps nothing more so that the control system, everything move and combo is so simple to pull off that fighting and using magic seems to come naturally, and if you do happen to forget a move then simply pressing the start button will remind you of each ability that you have access to at the time. Most of the combat and magic moves use a combination of L2 or R2 and the corresponding face button, while you can dodge by pressing L2 and R2 together, this is a fantastic way of doing things because it is simple and means that you will find it hard to mess up the move you are trying to pull off.

Generally the game will lead you through its chosen path, although occasionally you will find hidden rooms that contain items to increase and restore your magic and health. Most of the game though revolves around combat, which is just as well because this is were the game really excels, often you will find yourself blocked in a room with magical barriers and the only way out is to kill everything that spawns in front of you, this however is a brilliant experience due to the smooth combat system and the sheer amount of combos that you can pull off.

The enemies that you will face come in all shapes and sizes, and while a lot of them appeared in previous game in the series, this still does not take away from the sheer challenge of trying to defeat them as each have their own strengths and weaknesses, meaning that you cannot just bash one button and hope for the best. In order to best defeat an enemy you must work out for yourself the best way and then use a combination of your magic and fighting abilities in order to take them out, especially so for the larger enemies that you will face.

Another good point to Chains of Olympus is that even when you are not fighting, you are usually always on the go, be this solving many of the various puzzles or trying to find out how to move on from where you are, there is certainly plenty here to keep your brain ticking, from simple things like having to find a wall to climb to more complex situations like lining up sunbeams and then reflecting them with your shield in order to progress. In fact some of the puzzles that you will come across can be very challenging, while at the same time being obvious and therefore will probably make you feel just that little bit silly once you figure them out.

Throughout the game you will come across new abilities and weapons, these can be upgraded by finding the red orbs which can be found in chests and are also rewarded for killing enemies, each upgrade will request a certain amount of orbs for you to sacrifice before you will be able to make your magic/weapons more powerful, however this is certainly worth it as the effects can be quite devastating. Your health and magic bars can also be upgraded by finding a certain amount of set items which are spread throughout the game.

Graphically God of War Chains of Olympus is the best looking game on the PSP yet, everything about it is just classy, from Kratos and the very atmospheric environments, to way the gameplay stays smooth throughout. The cutscenes are also pretty impressive, adding a real cinematic feel to the game along with the excellent background music and the beautifully created voiceovers.

So with all of this graphical prowess under it’s belt you would think the game would take forever to load, however this is not the case and it’s fair to say that it has perhaps some of the shortest loading times the PSP has seen yet, and if that is not enough to convince you to buy this game then I have no idea what would be.

God of War: Chains of Olympus really shows what the PSP is capable of, so if you own a PSP then this game is essential, simple as that.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10