With June 12th just around the corner, there is one game that all PS3 owners are talking about. Metal Gear Solid 4 is nearly here, and to mark this, and get fans back into Solid Snake's world, Konami has given us an expansion of the much-loved Portable Ops. But as an expansion, is it worthwhile for someone who hasn't played the first game?

The original Portable Ops was the first handheld continuation of the MGS storyline, taking place after the events of the PS2 classic, Metal Gear Solid 3. The story was the main attraction for many fans in the first place, so the removal of any storyline whatsoever in the expansion is a strange chioce. There is a single player campaign - if you can even call it that - but there is no plot. Instead, the campaign on offer is the Infinity Mission, which as the name suggests, is an infinite number of stages to plough through. There are difficulty levels, but after the Easy mode, which serves as a tutorial, you'll soon realise that this Infinity Section is all that the single player game offers. There are codec conversations, between your current character and Campbell, but they are little more than explanations of the techniques you have to achieve you goal, nothing like the epic debates that have become a hallmark of the series.

The goal is the same in each stage and, as you would expect, becomes very tiresome over time. You must sneak or run through the stage to find the advance point, a red square hidden somewhere in the level, which in turn takes you to the next stage. This seems simple enough, but when the advance point uses the same symbol on your surround indicator, Portable Ops' radar, it can get tricky finding it. This may seem like your primary objective at first, but if you fail to recruit soldiers as you do this then you won't progress in the game at all. As with the original, you recruit people to help your cause by knocking them out and then taking them to your truck. This is the main thing you do in the levels, something that is supported by the substantial lack of available weaponry, so if you decide to ignore this gameplay mechanic, your squad slowly diminishes in quality, making the later stages increasingly difficult. Those who are used to this from the original however will feel right at home here.

As you slog through the endless amount of stages, there will be one thing stopping you from enjoying the experience. Controls have never been series creator Hideo Kojima's strongpoint, with most actions in an MGS game consisting of holding multiple buttons at once, and this couldn't more apparent than it is here. If you found MGS3 frustrating then you will find Portable Ops even more so, possibly causing severe hair loss due to you tearing all of it out! The controls in Portable Ops Plus are exactly the same as the original, with weapons locking on with L, and first person view activated with R, but the weaknesses in their layout are more apparent in this expansion. Thanks to the lack of a story, the controls take centre stage for all the scrutiny they deserve. In the original, even if I found the controls unbearable at times, the story kept me going. The opposite has happened here though, with me putting my PSP down when the controls get too much for my weak little hands. It just proves how important the story was to the original, as other third person games have pulled off controls that overcome the limitations of the PSP; you only have to look at Syphon Filter or Pursuit Force for that. Controls are so important on the PSP, but Portable Ops Plus once again proves that MGS can't be controlled effectively on the system.

Single Player aside, the actual reason for PO Plus being released is to extend the already great online component of the game. The modes here are basic variations of the classic deathmatch, but with each getting a Plus counterpart, meaning that squads from the original game can be imported and used in these matches. This makes Plus the obvious choice of the two games for anyone who owns the original, because in addition to your previously unlocked soldiers, the extra characters added in the expansion can also be used. The online play is frantic; just like the original, you will see the difference between the in-game enemies and online opponents, with the latter being surprisingly easy compared to the former. This is because of the joint struggle with the controls that everyone online is experiencing, making everyone go through the same crouching nightmare that happens to you; getting up when lying down, for example, is just as complicated for other players online. The online is the best part of PO Plus and it's obvious that this was the only reason for the game to be released. Compared to the lacklustre Infinity Mission, the online mode is fantastic.

Using the same tech as the original has meant that the amazing graphics of Portable Ops are back. In motion it looks as close to MGS3 as developers are ever going to get on the PSP, which is the same thing that happened last year. The Naked Snake character model is so close to the PS2 version that you will often forget you're playing on PSP, until you realise that circle button is for weapons instead of the absent R2. The environments are very bland though, which wasn't the case last time around. In the Infinity Mission you will see the same texture used over and over again, something that does nothing to make you enjoy the mode more. The sound is once again brilliant, with the music sounding just as good as the console versions. Guns sound like guns, giving them weight and substance, and on the whole the sound effects are all well done. This is a pretty game, both in the visual and sound departments, and it shows off what you PSP can do nicely.

Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus is an expansion pack - nothing more, nothing less. If you don't own the original then you can still find some enjoyment, but to get anywhere online you'll have to suffer through the criminally plot-free Infinity Mission. If you do own Portabls Ops and you love playing online then for £15 you can do a lot worse. This is exactly the same gameplay in every way, merely providing extra content for the actual game, rather than putting both together into a single game. Even so, Plus isn't going to fill the gap in your stomach while you eagerly await Kojima's true masterpiece, despite having Old Snake playable, and anyone expecting more from this bargain-price game will come away feeling emptier than before. Both Portable Ops can be found for £15, so buy the original before you even contemplate this one.

Reviewed by Sam Atkins for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).