Game review: Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

Ratchet and Clank are back in a new adventure, and this time a few familiar friends have come along for the ride.

Fans of the cartoon duo are in for a treat, with all the platform blasting, battling and puzzling you can wrap your mental gear around.

But the big twist is the focus on the co-op experience.

Not a typo - although it does masquerade as one perfectly - the "4" in the title refers to the ability of being able to play at the same time with three other gamers.

The pluses in this mode are the teamwork, the satisfaction of cracking a group puzzle and just blasting baddies with a bunch of buddies.

If you fancy your gaming as a solo pursuit, there's also a solid solo campaign - though accompanied with an AI companion.

Graphically, it's much what you would expect, with the characters, environments and weapon effects all being very cute and in keeping with the cartoon style.

The game itself is easy to pick up. However, a few practice rounds would be advisable before delving into an online campaign.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One's dialogue deserves a special mention, with jokes flying thick and fast in this offering, ranging from the groan-inducing ones to those that will fly right over the young 'uns heads.

Not too gritty and violent for the young ones, but not so easy that it bores older players, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One is a fun family romp that will appeal to all.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform: PlayStation 3

Stars: 4/5