Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Almost, but not quite"

The success of Angry Birds is off the chart. More than 50 million copies of this casual puzzle game have been downloaded since its original release and Playstation faithfuls can now finally see what all the fuss is about with this brand new Mini version.

Angry Birds is about a group of feathery creatures that realise their eggs have been stolen by pigs. Naturally their angry and set out to get them back. But how does one approach the retrieve of one's eggs? Well the answer is simple; you use a slingshot to catapult yourself at the thieves.

There're over 200 levels in this version of Angry Birds and each one has the same objective, destroy every pig. You can do this by successfully hitting a pig with one of your birds or by manipulating the structures that surround them. As you progress through the game you'll get to sample a whole variety of birds that have different secondary actions that you perform by tapping the X button. Many of the levels can be quite challenging, but you'll have a lot of fun trying to figure out the best ways to use your birds. The design of each level is very clever and there's enough variation to keep the game interesting until you complete it. No music is heard during game play, but the noises that the animals make are strangely amusing. In addition to the main game, there is a whole host of fun bonus levels to unlock. One of which would make Pee Wee Herman proud.

But as good as the core game play is, there are some flaws that I need to elaborate on and chief among them is the frame rate which sadly drops at random. This is a problem that really shouldn't exist at all since the simple visuals can't be that demanding. Fortunately the game is still playable, but the frame rate problem can mess up the timing of your secondary actions. The game will also cause your system to lock-up and when you realise that this port of Angry Birds is the most expensive. There is just no excuse for these issues.

Once you start to play Angry Birds you'll quickly realise what makes it so popular. Unfortunately the problems in this half baked port can hinder some of the enjoyment. But if you manage to focus on the strengths of Angry Birds, you're guaranteed to have a good time.

RATING - 7.5/10

+ Humorous presentation.
+ Challenging and addictive game play.
+ Excellent diversity in puzzle design.
- Visuals aren't technically impressive.
- Annoying slowdown can mess up the timing of secondary actions.