Daxter [PSP]

No premise is as useful for a spin-off game as a good flashback. For the debut PSP appearance from Sony's first-party character stable, Ready At Dawn has gone back in time to the lost days that took place between the first two Jak games. The result, simply dubbed Daxter, is a hugely entertaining platformer with just enough bonus content to deserve a spot on the top shelf of PSP software.

The story, in which the sharp-tongued, soft-headed Dax becomes a bug exterminator in Haven City, is the game's weakest point. But it provides reason to put an electric flyswatter in his hand and a can of bug spray on his back. That spray eventually becomes a flamethrower and basic jetpack, which is all anyone needs for good platforming.

And the action in Daxter is typically great. The stunningly detailed levels feature a wide variety of urban locations and tunnels, a few outdoor areas and even a huge subway system, which hosts one level. The development team has skillfully worked in vehicles and nearly eliminated loading times with a competent streaming system. You'll see a few hitches once in a while as content ramps up, but moments of slowdown are few.

Levels feature the sort of jumping and attacking common to so many platformers, plus multi button attack routines and a few special options. The enemies are inventive and well modeled but rarely overwhelming; the difficulty is balanced to ensure playability.