Bomberman Party Edition

Bomberman is literally that - a man with the ability to drop bombs. The premise is so simple it's genius. You run around mazes - a bit like Pac Man - and utilize the bombs to clear walls that block your way and enemies that zoom around the levels, trying to bump you off. It's as easy as that to get in to, but more difficult to finish. As you play through the game and the action becomes more frantic you'll need to keep your wits about you; danger can be self-inflicted if you trap yourself in a corner with one of your bombs and those slippery little monsters will have you for breakfast if you're not careful. The multiplayer game is the jewel in Bomberman's crown and is a battle for supremacy against your chosen opponents. It's fun and frantic, allowing you to sample the one-player action against the PlayStation but with the added bonus of being able to gloat at your mates as you bomb them into the ground!

The game has various modes for you to have a crack at! There's the basic one-player game where your task is to complete the series of monster-filled levels that are thrown at you. Battle Royal Mode is a standard Bomberman game that takes place against other Bomberman characters, Custom Battle Mode works on the same premise but you are able to customise what pick-ups you want to have in the game and other options like the length of battle and sudden death. Single and Tag Team Battle matches are also included and of course there is the multiplayer game, which allows you to play against four other people simultaneously via a PlayStation multi-tap.

Pick-ups that help you through the game are scarce to begin with, but become more available when you really need them. You begin with a basic bomb and can only drop one at time, however, throughout the game there are pick-ups that allow you to drop more than one bomb. For every bomb icon you pick up you can drop another deadly bomb, which means that you can skip around the levels, destroying walls and monsters more quickly, but it also means that you have to think faster and remember where your planted bombs are going to strike. Other pick-ups are geared towards upgrading your bombs and blocking your opponents' advantages and include timed bombs, firepower to increase the blast your bomb delivers and mini-tank type vehicles that you sit in on the edge of the screen and blast bombs into the battle from a healthy distance!

The multiplayer games are definitely what the whole title is based around and they are brilliantly fun - the action that takes place somehow feels more intense when you are surrounded by your friends baying for blood. Bomberman Party Edition is a game where the real strength lies in the multiplayer game.

Bomberman is mind-numbingly addictive and hugely tactical despite its initially flat looking appearance. It has a lot for you to get through and instigates a real need for finishing the whole thing in one sitting. It's not inspiring to look at and there's no plot or fancy graphics, but it still has enough action and gameplay to keep you wanting to get through it - even if it's just out of plain old-fashioned game addiction.

Bomberman Party Edition is a real blast from the past, no pun intended, and, although the cynics may say that it's just a regurgitated title spat out on to the PlayStation, it has enough to keep fans and newcomers playing.