Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee It's been a long time coming, but Abe is finally back, he's got new friends to help him and he's living in a whole new oddworld!

I won't talk too much about the Oddworld games on PSOne, but for those of you who don't know they remain two of the most ingenious, enjoyable, graphically excellent and humourous 2D platform games ever invented. Just as everything was going 3D, Oddworld reminded us just how good the 2D platform game could be. Naturally whilst the wackiness, creativity and game world of the original has been retained, Munch's Oddysee is a whole new game.

Abe is a former Mudokon slave who escaped from Rupture Farms, a meat processing factory run by the fiendish Glukkons, rescuing many of his Mudokon buddies in the process. This time he's embarking upon a grand adventure that will take him across Oddworld, which has been spoilt by the Glukkons and their factories. They have made slaves of the population and are ruining the land. He teams up with a Gabbit called Munch, a fish-like creature who is the last of his kind. Together, they must defeat the Glukkons and restore balance to the land.

The first thing that strikes you about Munch's Oddysee is the graphics. They are absolutely incredible. I mean there is nothing that comes close. The movie sequences are unbelievable, the level of realism reached in the textures and lighting far surpasses even Halo's best offerings. Within the game itself, the graphics are very detailed with masses of Xbox touches. The game world is 3D, viewed from an above angle that varies, with a camera that behaves very well throughout the game. The level of detail on the characters and the animation is truly amazing. You just have to play it to believe it, there's no way I can convey how special it looks, but they use lighting and shadowing, textures and scaling, water effects and shimmering reflections that surpass anything seen before. The sound effects and music are also very good, contributing to the humour and atmosphere.

The basic game premise is fairly simple, Abe and Munch have to solve a series of puzzles, get past the guards and rescue their friends on each level. However, because of the various powers they possess and the clever level design, this can be achieved in a number of ways. Each level has more than one solution, so in this sense it is much freer than many 3D platform games. Collecting Spooce, green fungus that grows around the level, allows Abe to chant, sending his spirit to possess an enemy. Once in control of an enemy he can direct them around the level to pull switches or kill other enemies. However, the Glukkons have chant inhibitors set around some levels and if there's no Spooce available he has to find alternative methods. He can run pretty fast and there are various power ups available on certain levels that gives him time-limited super speed, super jump or invisibility to name a few. Abe can also talk to the other Mudokons, instructing them to follow him, wait, go to work or attack the enemies. Many puzzles require the involvement of several Mudokons, which can be equipped with large beating sticks or even machine guns to help them take out the enemies.

Meanwhile, Munch is much slower and less mobile than Abe, as he has fins, not feet, but when he gets his little wheelchair he can speed around the level faster than Abe! He is also able to swim, whereas water is fatal to Abe, once in the water he can swim fast and jump quite high. Radar has been grafted into his brain by the freaks at Vykkers Labs, which he can use to unlock Fuzzle cages and hack into remote control machinery. He can also get a power-up that enhances his zapping power enough to injure and kill enemies. His goal, apart from helping Abe, is to rescue the Fuzzles locked up around the level. These are little furballs that the Vykkers scientists cruelly use as test subjects in their research. They look cute, but are in fact lethal in groups and can often be the key to defeating the enemies and escaping the level.

Mudokons and Gabbits are quite hardy creatures in that if they are killed, they can be reincarnated. Munch and Abe can bring each other back from the various egg stations that are located on each level. Only Abe can bring back his Mudokon buddies by chanting at a reincarnation point and Fuzzles cannot be brought back, so be careful with the little guys.

There are over 20 huge levels that will keep you busy for a long time (especially if you are determined to rescue every Mudokon and Fuzzle), giving plenty of value for money. The only slight criticism I will make of this game is that there is perhaps a bit of repetition here and there, but generally each level provides new and different challenges that take a reasonable amount of brain power to solve, then some skill to carry out. The other reason this game isn't getting a 10 (and I'd love to give it a 10, because it really is fantastic), is that it is missing a two-player co-operative mode, something that would surely have been logical to include and would have made it much more fun.

I'll say it one more time, this game features ground-breaking graphics, intelligent puzzles, large levels, enjoyable gameplay and has a great sense of humour. Every gamer who even slightly enjoys 3D platformers should rush out and buy it now!

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).