Bomberman is a licence with such longevity it’s difficult to see it in any form other than the original, cutesy explosives-expert surrounded by blocks, bombs and similarly cutesy chums. Certainly, the recent attempt to take Bomberman onto next-gen consoles has failed spectacularly to move the energetic chappy into a more stylish realm. Even remaining with the tried and tested visuals doesn’t guarantee any kind of success – or indeed quality – as Bomberman Hardball demonstrated. No, Bomberman isn’t likely to make anything more than miniscule, incremental changes as the rest of the gaming world zooms on by. It’s pretty fair to say that any decent Bomberman title will be pretty much the same as the original iteration almost 25-years ago.

Speaking of miniscule changes, the ones made to Bomberman PSP appear to be sensible, and most importantly, don’t completely dominate the game. Sure, the idea of a single-player mode isn’t, from past experience, the most exciting thing about the title, but it’s still an interesting diversion from what most would see as the meat of the game. More on the multiplayer later, but what Bomberman offers in single-player is a series of worlds complete with baddies, bosses and environmental hazards like warpholes, whirlwinds and the treacherous sliding ice. The only real difference comes in the form of the ability to stockpile your items rather than losing them at the end of each level, making for a surprisingly tactical experience.

In reality, however, all this serves as is a training mode for what most folk will be buying this for: battle mode. Indeed, it seems, given the lack of difficulty modes, that the developers have included the single-player game to aid those who have allowed the Bomberman side of their brain to atrophy. Everyone has their favourite way to play multiplayer, and the PSP version allows for a nice variation of setups. The size of the arenas, time limits and revenge can all be adjusted, but what really puts it ahead in terms of all time great Bomberman experiences is the ability to share the UMD with up to four players – a godsend for PSP owners everywhere. Further adding to the joys of handheld bombing is the fact that it takes so little time to get everyone in the game. Many titles, even without this game sharing, can create such irritation before you’ve even got into a game it makes the whole thing distinctly less fun. Not so with Bomberman. There is one fairly minor niggle however, in that lag can creep into the multiplayer games. In all though, Bomberman fits wonderfully into your palm and is an easy recommendation for anyone with friends. Counts us out then, doesn’t it?

Tom Leclerc