The videogame world is home to many classic, hard knock male protagonists. Solid Snake, Sam Fisher, Number 47 and of course that guy in nifty green battle armour who we mustn't mention in a review for a Sony console! There's another guy who can be classed in the same league as these big hitting heroes, namely Syphon Filter star Gabe Logan. This is mainly due to the PSP hit of 2006 - Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror - which revitalised the series like no one could have thought possible and was heralded as one of the best games on the PSP. It was inevitable that a sequel would follow and with heavy expectations, we need to know if Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow can emerge from the might shadow of its predecessor.

Taking place sometime after the events of Dark Mirror, the game has its own complete story to tell and it doesn't rely on you knowing Gabe Logan's history. Sent on a mission to investigate a package inside a navel ship, Gabe begins his ongoing mission to discover the truth. Unlike its predecessor, Logan's Shadow's story actually feels like a story - and once your teammate Lian Xing goes missing, you end up fighting your own way through the adventure. The story is surprisingly good, building character into the previously wooden Logan and fleshing out new faces like the head honcho Cordell, as well as other mysterious characters. The characters feel more real this time around, with scenes taking place in everyday settings. This makes it even more believable, causing you to care about the cast. The script is a lot less corny this time around too, although some cringing lines have made it through quality control. But most of the dialogue is solid and well performed, showing what a good story and script can do for a game. The plot is much more interesting than the simple and unbelievable one in last year's hit.

As far as the gameplay goes, there are two options available to you when you boot up the game - Single Player and Multiplayer. The single player mode sees you playing through the six episodes found of the campaign, the meat of the game, rivalled only by the extensive online options. Each of these episodes contains a number of chapters, which take up to twenty minutes each. You can also go through training missions, which are practically the same as Dark Mirror, save for some new features such as swimming. Mission mode is unlocked as you progress through the story, where you can play any of the levels that you have previously completed, allowing you to find hidden pieces of evidence or perform special tasks, eventually granting you access to more weapons in multiplayer. This was a solid feature in the last game and works well again here; by adding this collectible nature to the gameplay, hardened online gamers may find it necessary to plough through the missions over and over again, adding substantially to the game's longevity.

The multiplayer component is even deeper than last time. With two new modes, Syphon Filter factions can duke it out in five match types over a variety of maps. Sabotage sees two teams battling for a specific item, using this to perform another task - for example, arming a nuclear weapon. These are hugely fun and quite fresh next to standard deathmatch multiplayer experiences. Retrieval meanwhile is basically a Capture the Flag mode that the original sorely missed. These additions help make the multiplayer even better than Dark Mirror, which was brilliant in its own right.

Dark Mirror was praised for its control scheme too, and absolutely nothing has changed here. They nailed it last time, so why change it? You move with the analog nub and control your view with the face buttons. This may seem clumsy, but in practice it is massively sturdy once you're accustomed to it. Actions are once again given to up on the d-pad, while left, right and down give you access to the goggles screen, weapons and crouch position respectively. Swapping weapons and equipment out is an easy task, as the game pauses the action while you make the choice between a silenced pistol and a sniper rifle. Shooting is handed to the ever-popular R button, while L is not left out, zooming in on the fight at hand. The controls are fantastic once more, which is surprising, as within a year no one has topped what Syphon Filter has established - it still has the most refined third person controls on the system.

The main addition to the game is the ability to swim underwater. Taking after other action heroes, Gabe has learned to dive into the depths of the sea - and he must have had a good teacher. The swimming in Logan's Shadow is executed amazingly well; it's hard to explain the controls, as unlike most games there isn't a button that makes you swim. While on the surface you press down on the d-pad to dive down into the water. Once below the surface, you control yourself with the analog nub while still pointing your view as before. It's like you're not underwater, as the controls are the same as on land, but the game still makes it feel different. It is really difficult to express how cool this is, but you won't need practice in the training mode - I can tell you that much. The swimming mechanic was looking like it would be overused, but thankfully only small portions of the game take place in the murky depths. One exception to this is an entire episode where Logan must investigate a ship underwater. Near the start of the game, this is a fantastic segment and the most memorable part of the whole experience. Fighting a submarine with your bare hands is nothing for Gabe Logan!

The weapons in Logan's Shadow actually feel like weapons, with a distinctive weight to them. Each bullet that hits a target has an effect that's ultimately very satisfying. Whether that is a hit to the leg or the head, you know that pain has been caused! The gunplay as a whole is once again thoroughly enjoyable, while the cover system has been refined, with an all-new blind fire attack available, although this has little point to it, as you can easily pop out of cover and damage an opponent with more focused fire. The difference here is that cover is vital for survival, rather than being an option. In the later levels, staying out of cover usually results in instant death, making the obviously placed sack walls and broken stone pieces feel like they are your silent teammates. Staying out of cover isn't the only instant death you can experience either; a major flaw from Dark Mirror - invisible trip switches - can end your life in a moment, while random headshots can kill you instantly. Whereas the previous game would make you start the section again, the checkpoint system here is much better, with more checkpoints throughout the map, making sure your hands stay glued to the PSP. This reduces the difficulty of the game considerably, but this only makes it all the more fun.

Logan's Shadow also looks and sounds exactly the same as Dark Mirror. The character models are the same, the explosions look just as good and the sound effects of bullets are great too. Basically it's the same game with a new story and extra gameplay features. Underwater things still look brilliant, with some decent water effects that are great for the PSP. The voice actors all reprise their roles too, meaning that fans of the series will feel at home with them instantly, and meaning that Logan is the same gruff character. Even the menus are the same, save for a colour palette change here and there. The only thing the game does considerably better than Dark Mirror is the FMVs. These are amazing this time around and push the PSP to the limit of its graphical potential. As your UMD furiously whirs, beautiful characters are created onscreen, mouthing exactly what the voices are saying. The cut scenes are even longer this time too and getting to the end of an episode will give you the pleasure of seeing another five-minute montage of greatness. This is possibly the best improvement that Logan's Shadow has over its predecessor.

If you played through Dark Mirror and hated every second of it then Logan's Shadow will give you the exact same feelings. If you have good taste however and liked Dark Mirror, even a tiny bit, then you simply must play Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow. With extravagant production values and gorgeous graphics, your eyes will adore it. Throw in a brilliantly conceived story, with characters that actually matter, and your emotions will love the game. Brilliant controls and a multitude of things to do make sure you think the world of it. To be frank, this is a game that you must experience on PSP - no other game this year, or any year for that matter, has pushed the hardware as much as Logan's Shadow. It may carry a few flaws over from the first game, but the way it overcomes them is legendary. The PSP has never seen something this good and if you're even slightly a fan of action and shooters then you need to play this now!

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