If you’re a fan of the turn-based strategy genre, then the PSP really hasn’t been the best place to look for your fix, as there have been exactly no games of this type released for Sony’s handheld. We couldn’t tell you the reason for this, especially when you consider the popularity of the Advance Wars games on Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance and DS. However, with Field Commander, developer Sony Online Entertainment has seen fit to rectify this situation, and slap our backsides and call us Susan if it hasn’t done a fine job of it.

What stands out most with Field Commander is that it feels like it’s been designed specifically for the handheld gaming experience, and isn’t some lazy conversion of a title better suited to a home console. Tthe maps on which the missions take place aren’t massive, there is a handy save option allowing you to pause your game whenever your turn comes around and everything feels like it wouldn’t work quite so well on anything but the PSP. It’s as if SOE has spent time understanding what people want from a handheld game before actually starting development, and it’s a refreshing approach.

This would all be for naught if the gameplay wasn’t there to back it up, but we’re pleased to report that Field Commander doesn’t disappoint in this regard either. Admittedly it sticks to the conventions of the genre for the most part, but there are a few interesting additions, such as unique units and the ability to destroy certain terrain in order to gain an advantage. The whole strategy thing is superbly implemented, and as you progress through the 30-mission campaign you’ll need more than brute strength to defeat the increasingly cunning adversaries.

As well as a full single-player campaign, Field Commander offers a slew of multi-player modes. As well as the usual Ad-Hoc Wi-fi , there is also the option to play over the Internet with the game’s Infrastructure mode, something many games don’t support. There are also two modes we’ve never seen before, Hot Swap and Transmission. Hot Swap allows two people to play on one PSP, and Transmission lets you play a ‘non-live’ game, with you and your opponent logging into a server to download the other’s moves, so you can play a game against someone at the same time, even when you’re not online.

Field Commander does everything that you could want from a handheld turn-based strategy game, and manages to throw a few new ideas into the mix to keep it interesting. It’s the first of its type on the PSP, but it’s good enough to be recommended on its merits, rather than because it holds a unique position in the market.

Jude Salmon