Everyone loves a good arcade shooter (at least I hope so), and ever since its conception in 1985, Konami's Gradius series has consistently dominated the field, with each new installment setting the benchmark against which all other shooters must compete. Stemming from the series' immense popularity, especially amongst the retro gaming community, Konami has bundled together five Gradius episodes into one intense, shooterific compilation that is Gradius Collection for the PSP.

Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III, Gradius IV and Gradius Gaiden (which hasn't made an appearance in the US until now) make up this wonderful compilation, and all five are challenging side-scrolling shooters that individually rival any other shooter around, past or present. Each of the five plays essentially the same as the next in terms of core gameplay, putting you inside the cockpit and in control of the Vic Viper spaceship, using quick reflexes to dodge incoming fire, maneuver around obstacles and blast away waves of enemy aircraft and tough bosses - yet with each progressive title there are noticeable enhancements, mostly subtle tweaks to the vaunted Power Meter weapon power-up system that the series is noted for, which bring a little something unique to every game in the collection.

Playing through the collection in order, it is a pure joy to see how each game improves upon the one before it, with a graphical enhancement here and a new audio touch there. In the time you move from the original classic to the newer and flashier Gradius Gaiden, you'll have gone from plain stages and ship models to more elaborate and active backgrounds, smoother and shinier models, bigger bosses and fancier explosions. By today's standards it all looks marginally dated, but in all honesty you'll be pleasantly surprised to see how good these games still look after all these years. As usual for a PSP retro collection, various display options are provided, including widescreen and standard formats, among other choices. Not to forget the audio, the music throughout the five-game run is exceptional, with Konami graciously throwing in a Gallery mode containing each of the game's soundtracks for your listening pleasure (along with a few CG videos to watch if you want). The bleeps and bloops of the in-game space combat remain fairly familiar throughout, and all are nostalgically authentic to the series' arcade roots.

Now being within the handheld realm of the PSP, Konami has also done a commendable job of adapting these classic shoot 'em ups to a portable gaming environment. Most notably is a fantastic save system that enables you to save your game, including stage location, score and power-up status, at anytime during play, making it easy to get out of a game quickly while on the go so you can pick up where you left off later without worrying about losing any progress. In addition, each game can be played in its original form or in a new 'tuned' mode that adjusts the difficulty and eliminates the slowdown effects occasionally seen in the original versions, among a few other minor settings tweaks. If that wasn't enough, the load times are infrequent and quick, while the numerous difficulties and other adjustable game settings insure that every gamer, casual or hardcore, gets what they want out of the entire experience.

Needless to say, Gradius Collection ranks high in the upper echelon of classic game compilations, featuring five exceptional shooters that will have you hooked from beginning to end and beyond, all for less than a standalone full-priced PSP title. If you love shooters in any shape, form or fashion, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better than this.

Reviewed by Matt Litten for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).