"Oh my God! Sean Connery as James Bond! I need this game!" is what the arguably clever folks at EA had, in their endless naiveté, believed gamers across the world would exclaim when seeing From Russia With Love. And yes, Sean Connery, for many (including myself) the definitive James Bond, does provide all of Agent 007's dialogue. But let's be honest, he hasn't worn the suit in 23 years and his voice does not quite fit with the visuals. Basing the marketing of a quite decent game on a famous actor is not a wise move, but still it's one that EA took. Which is a shame, as the rest of the product also deserves a mention.

Telling a story used to be one of the key elements in creating games. Back then, games like Monkey Island, Zak McCracken and Final Fantasy would have you at it for hours on end, enticed by the twisted plots and zany humour. Over the years the story has been reduced to an almost non-existent state, obliterated by antagonists like John Carmack, who only uses the story as an excuse for violence. From Russia With Love is a very mixed experience in this respect. Based on the 1963 film classic, it incorporates bits and pieces of the story told in that movie. The EA scriptwriters' office must have been a chaos of torn pieces of paper, glue and scissors, as they've obviously sat down with a copy of the original script, cut out passages, moved them around, glued it all together and called it done. As in the film, the British government is after a Russian decoder called Lektor, which may be found in Istanbul. So they send their best spy, James Bond, Agent 007, to retrieve it. The rest is very insignificant but I can reveal that it involves gizmos aplenty, babes and cool characters. The crime organisation from the old movies, Spectre, has been exchanged for a new one called Octopus, for no apparent reason. Many of the characters have also been cut and new ones added, just enough to outrage and confuse fans of the original movie. So much for staying true to the original, as EA had promised!

In terms of graphics, From Russia With Love ranks quite high. It's the best-looking game I've seen on the black beauty and everything seems clear enough. Between the two stationary PlayStations, this game definitely leans on the side of the PS2, leaving its roots behind. Even though the game is also filled with flaws, such as bodies floating in mid-air, invisible walls blocking your way and several other mishaps, the visual side is quite competent, giving off a cool retro vibe. Including several neat touches for fans, such as a poster for "Call me Bwana" from 1963 and other things like that, there are jokes hidden for the insiders. If you're just a regular gamer, though, you won't notice these, but it's nice that this level of attention to detail has been taken.

The sounds headed your way are a mix of lines from the movie, cheap sound effects and Sean Connery's rusty accent. Not that the mix is altogether horrible, it works better than you'd think throughout most of the game. However, when every enemy you meet gives you the same threats and insults, you start cursing the development team for not giving more variety to the monotonous dialogue. Most of the effects are also convincing, it's just that they've already been used so many times before. The score doesn't do much to heighten the experience; not much more than a single track, a remixed version of the classic James Bond theme, kept at a level where you won't notice it. So subtle it could be the same track without problem, and they just used that. But when you're stuck or the noise around you for some other reason quiets down, you notice. And once your ears are tuned in, it'll bug you for the remainder of the game.

One of the things putting the PSP in a bad light is a games library filled with watered-down ports of great games and I'm afraid From Russia With Love will be placed under that category by most people, mainly because of its controls. Lacking a second analog stick, shooters are hard to make on the PSP, so they normally don't require much talent from the player. Russia does, and not because of the controls, but rather because of the fact that they're not working very well! You turn the camera with the circle and square buttons, which on paper might sound like a good way to go, but in reality takes you a very long time to get used to. The fact that they're not functioning properly is a real negative - they're just not sensitive enough and fiddling with the controls does not help in the slightest.

The control of the camera is, unfortunately, pretty poor when compared to controlling big weapons like the bazooka and grenades. When you do that, you control where to shoot with the analog stick, a painstaking process that is likely to be the end of the good man Bond. If you do manage to get the shot right and you're not stopped by non-existent walls, most exploding weapons don't do much damage, meaning that it's a lot better just to stick with the standard equipment. Locking onto enemies has become a standard feature in many games and is also incorporated in From Russia With Love, although here it's very problematic, as you have to see your enemy before locking onto him, which the slowly reacting camera complicates.

Apart from the ranged weapons, Bond has a few Q-made gizmos to control, including a small helicopter and a laser-beaming watch. These can, as well as all other weapons, be upgraded using the points you earn by finishing off enemies Bond-style. At several points in the game you're also presented with a jetpack, which is in turn equipped with both a machine gun and a rocket launcher, perfect for finishing off enemies. Unfortunately the levels are extremely cramped when flying, placing invisible barriers everywhere, and the controls used for flying could also easily have been better implemented.

From Russia With Love is placed on the wrong side of 10 hours play, giving it the final push into mediocrity. Even though Bond Challenges are available as you progress, consisting of reliving specific parts of the game, you won't really be that hooked on plowing through it all again. If you live close to someone else with a PSP who invested in this title, there is also a severely boring multiplayer mode, consisting of game modes already used beyond count. A little artwork has also been squeezed onto the disc, but it's only of the first few levels.

Ending as a reasonable attempt at a third-person action game, From Russia With Love manages to raise itself above many PSP games, despite its myriad flaws, and it's a title to stall the hunger for masterpieces until one arrives. On the positive side is the graphics, the feeling of retro and Sean Connery. On the negative side we have the repetitive music, dodgy controls and tacked-on multiplayer. When mixed we get a title worthy of renting, playing and then promptly returning to the friendly folks at Blockbuster. From Russia With Love is mainly for fans of the original movie and really isn't up to much. But if you're craving for immediate entertainment for your PSP, I suggest you give it a go, as it manages to entertain for the time it lasts.

Reviewed by Niels Jakob Kyhl Jørgensen for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).