by Philip Lop

Created on: August 29, 2010   Last Updated: May 07, 2012

It would be safe to say that my enthusiasm for this game is virtually limitless. The menu of my PS2 indicates that my last game of Ratchet and Clank has clocked up over 80 hours of game play; and I could pick it up and keep playing it just as easily now. Innovative, imaginative and completely addictive, this game will have you hooked from the outset, and has so many features and ingredients that even now I am finding new things to do. It's almost tempting to leave it there and tell you just to go and play it, but I guess you might want to know a bit more, so I'll try and fill you in.

The hero of this tale is a cat-like mechanic called Ratchet from a small planet called Verdin. When a spacecraft crashes into his planet one day, he sets off to investigate and discovers a small robot amongst the wreckage. The robot (who becomes known as Clank) possesses information about an evil dictator called Chairman Drek, whose plans generally involve the annexation and destruction of one planet after another. Persuaded by Clank's logic and conscience, Ratchet joins the little robot in a quest to track down Chairman Drek and bring his plans to an end once and for all.

The basic idea behind the game is for Ratchet to wander around different worlds, completing missions and challenges, which are each rewarded with information and or new gadgets. Along the way, he comes up against a wide array of robots and monsters, and must continually adapt his arsenal of weapons in order to stay ahead of the enemy. Initially, these tasks are fairly easy, and the monsters are fairly easy to destroy, but as the game progresses things grow harder and more tactical. There are nineteen different planets/locations in total, and only when you have completed certain tasks will you be given access to them all. The currency of the game is bolts, which are littered around all of the different locations, hidden in boxes that you have to smash open and given as a reward each time you kill one of the bad guys. You will literally collect hundreds of thousands of them, which in turn will need to be exchanged for various weapons and gadgets, so they are absolutely essential. The scope of the game is literally huge, and includes duels, races, and assault courses, puzzles and lots more still.

The basic controls used to move Ratchet around are very simple, with one button to jump, one button to smash things and a joystick to point him in the right direction. However, as the game progresses, the range of

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