Motorbike racing is a funny old genre. We don’t mean generic titles of the ‘Mad Skillz Motocross: Extreme Bling Overload!’ ilk. We mean proper racing, on a track, at suicidal speeds. The thing about being on two wheels is that everything is a little bit more sensitive and hitting an obstacle will see your crumpled body tumble down the track like a rag doll. Some people love this challenge in a game, but for most us it gets a little tiresome.

The thing about games is that most of the time you really don’t want to concentrate that hard, which is what bike games force you to do, constantly. Fine if you’re at home and have no distractions but try doing it on a crowded bus – no chance. This is the first problem we have with the PSP conversion of MotoGP. The second is that the analogue nub doesn’t have the greatest range of movement, which means it’s even more sensitive than its PS2 counterpart. Steering your crotch rocket around the track becomes something of an ordeal.

This isn’t to say MotoGP is without merit, as it presents a solid representation of the sport, we’re just not sure it’s that well suited to the PSP. Perhaps the wealth of unlockables will keep you persevering to wrestle your bike around the track safely but perhaps they won’t.

A decent enough effort that does everything you’d want it to do, but the whole idea just seems wasted on a handheld.

Simon Griffin