7 cert, Sony/Insomniac, PlayStation 3 ***

Perhaps unfairly, this reviewer was sulking as he loaded up the latest Ratchet & Clank. It's not that we don't like the feline/ robot team, but we feared that the franchise has made too many trips to the well. It's a relief, so, that the multiplayer format adds so much. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 Oneis most reminiscent of the four-player, coin-operated arcade games from the 1990s. The heroes team up together to jump, shoot and dodge their way to saving the universe. It flows nicely – just on the right side of chaos – and the multiplayer rewards teamwork (shooting a target in unison, for example). Apart from the multiplayer option and the choice to play in 3D, the game doesn't deviate much from the popular format. The graphics are colourful, if a little retro, and it is a mite familiar. But overall, this is agreeable and playful stuff.