Monster Rumble was originally released on the PS2 in 2007, and was the third game to be released under the Buzz! Junior brand. Even though it was targeted at a young audience, the twenty-five mini games still provided a barrel of laughs for everyone who gave it a shot. Two years later and Cohort Studios have taken it upon themselves to release a somewhat misleadingly limited version on Sony's Playstation Network. It still carries the same title, but only includes 5 minigames out of the initial 25 on the PS2. However, the £3.99 price tag and trophy support does somewhat justify a short, but fun distraction.

In case you're not familiar with Buzz! Games, all of the gameplay consists of jabbing your buzzer peripheral at the correct moment to rack up the points and embarrass your friends. Luckily, the cheapskates among us can heave a sigh of relief, as the PS3 controller can also be used to play the five minigames with R2, R1, Triangle, Cross and L1 taking the respective place of Blue, Orange, Green, Yellow and, of course, the Buzzer. As is custom with the "Junior" brand, the quiz based gameplay is substituted for various minigames to appeal more to a younger audience. Fortunately, this doesn't stop all ages from enjoying the games with their friends.

Before you get into the action, players are prompted to choose their monsters colour and customise them with interchangeable body parts. Once your hideous little giggling avatar is ready, the games can begin!

There are five relatively basic minigames, the first of which is "All Wrapped Up" where four players, human or computer controlled, compete to see who can unwrap their mummies the fastest by attacking the correct buttons to correspond with the colour of the mummies bandages. Good, simple fun. "Musical Chairs" is the next in the line-up, which I hope requires no introduction provided that you had a childhood, which is pretty likely. Just like the traditional game, "Musical Chairs" is a bit more exciting due to the anticipation for silence. However, with 9 rounds in a single game, you'll find yourself tired of it before it ends. "Treasure Hunt" requires a little more thought, which makes it the best game in the line-up. Players must time their movements between islands with the rotating arrow in a bid to collect the most treasure chests, but don't be afraid to knock your opposing monster friends into the drink! "Ghoulish Golf" is probably the easiest game available, as the four little monsters simply have to land the power bars in the green to nab a hole-in-one and a maximum of 250 points. Watch out for the greenhouse though! The narrator doesn't take kindly to monsters with a bad shot, and will deduct points if you put his precious plants in jeopardy. The final round in a Standard Game is "BOO!", where our four little monsters do a bit of zombie exterminating in a cemetery. Hit the eerily familiar looking zombie master for a big bonus, but not the donkeys, unless you want to lose 400 points!

Unfortunately, this still looks and sounds like a PS2 game albeit for the juiced up resolution. However, the game is visually satisfying regardless with amusing character design looking nice and fresh thanks to an HD make-over, and the games narrator is quick to comment on the players performance, even if it can get irritating after a while.

When approached from a single-player perspective, Monster Rumble loses all credibility as well as any lasting appeal thanks to computer-controlled characters that are an absolute walk in the park to beat. Good news for trophy hunters, bad news for players looking for a genuinely good game to eat up a few hours. If you're in the latter category, you're better off getting a classic PS1 game for the same price. However, if you have a few little monsters of your own, Buzz Junior: Monster Rumble could prove to be a clever investment if you cherish good old family gaming.

Reviewed by Joe Mulhern for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).