PSP GAME NEW

Here 's the first of our (hopefully) weekly roundup of some games that slipped under the radar can - like Hello Kitty & Friends, The First Templar and Esoterica America

Ape Escape ...

PS3 (Move Compatible) ? 24.99, cert 3 +, Sony

The Ape Escape series is not without its charms. On previous PlayStations this cartoony catch-em-up was a minor joy, inviting players to hop around a 3D platform world apprehending simian lags with an oversized butterfly net. But this time the whole shebang has been revamped specially for PlayStation Move, meaning a switch to a first-person perspective for an on-rails shooting-gallery affair: you shoot at the apes with your slingshot, lightgun-style; the apes get angry; they run straight for you; you swing the controller to swing your net and catch them when they get close. If catching an ape felt brilliant and funny and satisfying every time – which to an extent it did in the old games – the game might have more lasting appeal, but since it's more or less whack-a-mole with no actual whacking, it all pales pretty quickly. Jolly enough for a quick blast, and a surprisingly stiff challenge in the later levels, but this is not the reboot Ape Escape deserves.

The First Templar