They've done it! Finally I can play an action game on the PSP! Hallelujah, praise the Lord, my prayers have been answered! Shinobido: Tales of the Ninja is one of those games that shouldn't work - and if you read my review of Tenchu you'll see why games like this haven't worked on the PSP in the past. In fact, scratch that, if you've read my reviews of any action-based games you'll find that this isn't something that the PSP excels at. But now it does; Shinobido will be the benchmark that all future hack and slash style adventure games will be placed against - and it'll be hard to beat.

Set in thirteenth century Japan, you are Goh, one of the last Ninjas who must go on a number (a large number) of missions to bring peace and stability to Utakata. It's a simple story that's told and retold in many games, and to be honest you're probably best just skipping through the explanation given between levels, as it is bafflingly indecipherable. Suffice to say, you are a ninja and you are here to chew bubble gum and kick ass! Or to put it more correctly, to sneak about the levels and skewer your enemies before they see you. The gameplay itself is essentially about stealth killing mixed with a number of alternative mission types, including transporting boxes, reaching certain destinations, stealing objects and protecting your charges, (who half the time try and attack you - now there's gratitude!) It seems so odd that some reviewers have levelled criticism at this game because of this range of levels, as I found it a refreshing change and would probably have gotten bored of level after level of creep, kill, creep, kill, end. However, it's true that some levels work better than others and this can be because of the actual point of the level itself. For example 'Travelling' involves just that; you must find the exit and because of that you can run the whole level, jump over enemy and follow the compass until you reach the end. The absence of elements such as key finding, routes being blocked or simply that if you are discovered the level is over, these levels are a little lacking in the gameplay department.

The best levels are simply entitled 'Annihilation', an apt title, as your task is simply to wipe out a certain number of characters and this can either be through a sneaky amount of creeping around or the sheer carnage of a swordfight. In keeping with the Tenchu feel of things, you can creep up on an opponent until a sound signals that you are close enough to perform a stealth execution. These are all spectacular to watch and range from classic slicing and dicing to wonderful neck breaking moves that leave your foe as a puddle on the floor. However, if you are discovered you must fight and, while not perfect, the swordplay is fun - you should be warned though that to engage in a fight with more than one foe is almost suicide, as your opponents have mastered the art of blocking a lot quicker than I ever could and the combos you perform seem to (particularly on the harder characters) only hit in one out of three of four hits.

If you are in a sneaky or vicious mood, you are given a number of items that will aid you in setting deadly traps for your hapless opponents to walk on (mines) or to eat (exploding sushi - I kid you not!). I say hapless because one of the few problems I have is that the detection of you by the enemy can at times be so stupid that I worry about the state of the training of palace goons in Japan. During one level I was engaged in a swordfight for a little while, so I decided (in true Monty Python's Holy Grail fashion) to run away - upon gaining two houses' distance from him, the goon had forgotten all about me and I was able to sneak up and execute him from behind!

Controlling your character of choice is fairly simple and this makes Shinibido even more enjoyable, as you are given such a simplistic move set to get to grips with that the learning curve (and there is one) is fairly easy - by the third level you'll be executing stealth kills and running up walls to your heart's delight. After a number of levels you unlock a variety of characters, although it's best to stick to one of two who you can build up in terms of experience to make them almost indestructible. As with most games of this type, the camera is terrible, but it doesn't detract from the gameplay, thanks to the manual camera controls - holding L and pressing O allows you to look around when it's necessary and a tap of L straightens the camera up, which has a constant tendency to look anywhere except where you're actually going. Unlike other games that were totally destroyed by an unworkable camera, Shinibido is actually improved because of it, as you'll find yourself fighting against the camera and your foe as you battle and it's a truly frantic fight to survive.

Shinibido looks beautiful and the creation of the characters and the environment is wonderful by PSP standards. True, it's not as good looking as the PS2 version, but when you consider how much they fit in terms of levels and gameplay, I can forgive a lack of cosmetic beauty. The animation of stealth kills, which take the form of short cut scenes, is very effective in its use of blood and sound, and the fact you can view them properly is a great move away from Tenchu's camera-pointing-at-the-wall kills. However, there are a number of glitches that you'll encounter, such as an enemy being able to hurt you through a wall or you simply walking through it, David Copperfield style. The sound is a mixture of your typical sword swishes and war cries, although there are a number of terribly American sounding voices, but these are infrequent and don't negate the quality too much. It's with the music that the game excels; it's like something from a movie soundtrack that captures the mood perfectly and synchs well with the action and drama as it all unfolds.

Shinibido isn't lacking in the longevity stakes either, thanks to its multi-branching level structure. Much like Super Mario 3, you can simply avoid a certain number of levels by going in a different direction, and though there are some that you must complete, there are a number of times when you can simply choose whether to complete another Assassination level or alternatively go for a relatively simple stroll through the woods where you can encounter and kill bears. Yes, you read right, and those of you who are lifelong members of the RSPCA may feel sick as you are forced to kill a number of bears in order to continue through the level. While this does look great, it also poses a few moral issues with the gameplay, in the same way that Lara Croft's merciless killing of animals did a decade before - but I digress. Coming back to the matter at hand, the added bonus with the level structure is that when you do finally complete the game, you can go back and complete those you missed first time around. And if that's not enough, you can also use any of the other characters you have unlocked to try out their weapons or skills, such as Hebitonbo and his Mortal Kombat style 'Get over here' move, which is so fun that it's worth playing the whole game again for!

More? You want more? Well okay then! You have the option to play a number of levels in multiplayer for up to four players, which should be fun but (maybe it's my connection) was too hard to get to grips with and ultimately not as satisfying to play as some other games. A deathmatch scenario where you have to out-stealth the other players would have been cool, and hopefully that may be included in the sequel. More? Well, the trend lately has been to include the ability to design your own levels and this is present here. It should be great - but it's not. Why? Because it's never explained how you can actually do it! At first I thought this was web-based, but the baffling site held no information about it, then I assumed I would need the PS2 game to do this. I don't have the game and so I can't tell you. Either way, this would and should have been a great addition to the game, but sadly that's not the case. It's a shame that such an easy idea of having a site of downloads is not taken advantage of, as this would have been a great way to increase the playing time even further.

Shinobido: Tales of the Ninja, despite sounding like the Samurai relative of Scooby, is such a great game that it has restored my faith that developers can create an action game for the PSP. True, it's not completely perfect, but the flaws it does have are almost charming and often make the game more endearing. I couldn't put Shinibido down for three hours - and I can't remember the last time this happened, other than with a certain game that involves body slams and spandex…

Reviewed by David Simpson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).