In a bus-like turn of events, the PSP’s gaping RPG-shaped hole has been filled with the recent release of two conversions of classic PSOne games – first with Tales Of Eternia and now Breath Of Fire III. RPG gamers, for too long left waiting to conquer universes in the palm of their hands, are suddenly spoilt for choice. BOFIII, unlike its predecessor, did manage a European release, so is most likely the better known of the two.

For those amongst our readership unfamiliar with the PSOne version, BOFIII charts the adventures of dragon-boy Ryu and his quest to save the world. As with Tales Of Eternia, this is all very generic stuff, with the clichéd story joined by random turn-based battles, levellingup and dungeon crawling – if you’ve played a Japanese RPG, then you’ve seen most of what BOFIII has to offer.

However, despite being a by-the-numbers job, BOFIII does what it does very well, creating an involving and rewarding adventure that very few games – let alone PSP games – can get close to matching. Veterans will not find anything new here as it’s almost identical to the PSOne version, but for anyone looking to burnup some hours, you won’t find anything much more deserving of your time than this.

Jude Salmon