Back in the Nineties when Sega came up with the unlikely yet unfathomably popular idea of taking the common hedgehog, painting it blue and making it run really fast, I doubt they had any idea what they were becoming the catalyst for. With the debut of the now legendary Sonic series, platform games evolved. Gone were the days of the cutesy New Zealand Story, or the beep-beep-beep of Donkey Kong. Even Mario was left looking slow and stodgy compared to this new breed of platform hero. For years, the industry struggled to come up with something that could run beside Sonic the Hedgehog and not look like a limping tortoise.

To this end, Crash Bandicoot was born. Manic, hot-wired and more energised than a bathtub full of espresso, Crash was a hybrid of Sonic and Taz that would lift the scrolling platformer out of the realms of two-dimensional space and give it a new lease of life. After the initial game topped the charts however, Crash's popularity waned. Not as cool or accessible as Sonic, nor quite as entertaining as Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter (a series from Naughty Dog, the developers behind the original Crash Bandicoot), Crash became the red-haired stepchild of the platform genre very quickly and was all but abandoned by the wayside.

Several forgettable sequels later, however, those good old boys at Radical felt that Crash deserved another chance and set out to give him one last shot at regaining his former platforming glory. They dragged out the old Bandicoot, gave him a shave and a haircut, a spanking XXX-style tattoo and a great big box full of brand new combat moves and sent him out to meet his destiny. The question is, can he stand up against the competition?

In a word, yes. In two words, yes, kinda. Graphically speaking, Crash has had a bit of an overhaul. Though the 360 boasts the best graphics in terms of performance, the general look of the game has been sharpened on all formats, adding some nice details to the bright, kid-friendly visuals. As mentioned, the characters have been redressed to a certain extent, from Crash's new tattoo to his sister Coco's new Britney Spears look. The vistas on offer in some of the levels are beautiful, the environments are well drawn and incredibly colourful, and the little details, particularly in the outdoor levels, still evoke that sense of character synonymous with the Crash series.

Less attention has been paid to the puzzle element in this latest instalment however, which is the next big overhaul given to the game. Now the emphasis is more on acrobatic combat than collecting and puzzle solving. Though there is an element of collection involved (or it wouldn't be a platform game), the focus is more on Crash's new martial arts skills; from somersault kicks and back flips to jab combos that would put Tyson to shame, Crash is back to lay the smack down - make no mistake.

After Neo Cortex, the mental, short-fused villain of the series kidnaps Coco, its up to Crash to get her back. But Cortex hasn't just taken her - he's taken all sorts of animals and transformed them with the use of a strange new mojo, creating hybrid creatures of immense power that threaten to destroy N. Sanity Island. With big brother Crunch indisposed (Cortex traps him in a crystal prison) and Coco taken, Crash manages to save the shamanistic Aku-Aku, taking him along for the ride. Being a sentient ritual mask, Aku-Aku has a lot of uses for an action junky like Crash; he makes a good shield, for one, saving Crash's life on many occasions - but he also has a powerful mojo of his own.

Cortex's creations may be enormous mutants with an array of powers, but with Aku-Aku, Crash has a way to combat them. After stunning said mutant, the push of a button causes Crash to leap up in true action movie slow-mo style and slap the stuffy Aku-Aku over the monster's face, thus rendering them under your control. Use of the two unique powers possessed by each of the fifteen or more mutant creatures is vital to progress, since they all have essential skills, such as the ability to smash through walls, jump incredibly high or perform devastating area effect attacks on multiple enemies. Control of these creatures is really where the fun of the game is found, since they do add a much-needed new angle to the series.

Though there is nothing groundbreaking about Crash of the Titans, there really isn't anything that bad about it either. The sound effects are the usual Crash Bandicoot affair; pounding jungle rhythms, dramatic scores and tense fight music interspersed by that twinkly-glittery sound triggered by the collection of the blue mojo crystals. The storyline is straightforward and whilst not strictly necessary in a platformer, it doesn't get in the way of the fun. The controls are easy to pick up, very accessible and not too hard on the thumbs thanks to the variety of new combos and special attacks. Spread over twenty different zones, or 'episodes', the game can become a little repetitive after a while, but not to the point where a fan of the genre won't want to stick around until the end. There's also a co-op mode available for that extra replay value, as teaming up with a friend cranks up the pace even more and adds a greater depth to proceedings with the need for teamwork, as well as a sense of humour.

Not as sophisticated as many Xbox 360 games out there, Crash of the Titans is, at the end of that day, a scrolling platformer. It doesn't need to be sophisticated - it needs to be fun, frantic, colourful, noisy, winsome and comical, which is exactly what it manages to be. Radical have done a great job of reviving the washed-out shadow-of-his-former-greatness that Crash had become and breathed new life into the series, enough to at least guarantee that the established fans are happy again for a while. And if you're not a fan but find yourself having a go with Crash, you'll probably be smiling anyway. When all is said and done, it's character that counts in a platform game - and Crash Bandicoot certainly has that. Welcome back, you crazy marsupial - we've missed you!

Reviewed by Mick Fraser for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).