It's blatantly obvious right from the start that God of War: Chains of Olympus is absolutely chock full of production values. The series is known for being "the complete package" in terms of storytelling, graphics, audio and gameplay, and the PSP installment has no problem adhering to that lofty standard. Chains of Olympus feels like you are playing a PlayStation 2 game in nearly every respect and should be experienced by each and every God of War-fan as well as current (and soon to be) PSP owners.

God of War: Chains of Olympus is a prequel set in the time before the events of the original God of War. Kratos has already pledged himself to the Gods in exchange for absolution of his past sins (killing his own wife and child, mostly), and the game follows his struggle during this time period. He already is known as the "Ghost of Sparta" in CoO, and his journey takes him even deeper into the ancient world of Greek mythology in his relatively futile attempt to make good.

The gameplay in Chains of Olympus is sort of a mixture of elements found in GoW I and II. Kratos is of course equipped with his trusty Blades of Chaos and a number of the maneuvers, combos and powers return in one way or another. If you were worried that the gameplay wouldn't translate well with only a single analog nub and 2 less triggers, don't be. Ready at Dawn worked out an excellent control scheme using the triggers as modifiers for such actions as evasive rolls and magic casting. Like in God of War II, Kratos can gain the control of an additional weapon and also swim, above and below the water, as well as parry attacks (both weapon and projectile based). He does not yet have the ability to swing from objects or ride any mythological beasts. Up against a series like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, some may argue that the God of War series isn't as deep when it comes to higher level play. Like the previous GoW titles, there is certainly more than enough depth in God of War: Chains of Olympus for nearly anyone else, and in terms of game design, I personally much prefer the scheme. The button pressing QTE events or "mini-games" are also back, and provide that trial and error interactivity to what would usually be a static story scene. I've never minded the inclusion of this type of event when used correctly, and in CoO it's even a little toned down and less frequent than, in say, God of War II. What you do have is well balanced difficulty curve with tons of brutal, satisfying battles, upgradeable/unlockable stats and items, and some light puzzle solving. There is really a nice mix of everything you would expect from a God of War title, and not too much of any one gameplay element in particular. I wouldn't have minded a few more epic boss fights of course; You can never get enough of those.

I don't know how Ready at Dawn/SCEA Santa Monica were able to fit a PlayStation 2 into my PSP, but somehow they have. God of War: Chains of Olympus is simply a sick looking game. For a portable title, the scale of the environments and the complexity of the set pieces are just too impressive. As with a few of the other more recent 3rd generation PSP titles, I'd swear that the PSP can outperform the PS2 in certain respects (in the right hands). Along with high quality filtered textures, particle and lighting effects, Chains of Olympus even shows off some slick foliage rendering and fur shading. The shadowing is also some of the best I've seen lately. Even with several enemies attacking, and multiple effects and animations going on, the game very rarely can't keep up. There are a few minor instances of slowdown in the more complex scenes, though nothing we haven't seen before in God of War I or II. The story plays out in a mixture of realtime and pre-rendered (using the in-game engine) footage, and the look is very consistent with the rest of the series. The game even looks great output to a TV via the PSP slim's TV Out option.

An important part of the God of War experience is the epic soundtrack, and Chains of Olympus definitely delivers. The dynamic soundtrack is just as grand and dramatic as the rest of the game and really sets the tone with big orchestrated pieces when needed. The voice work, with Linda Hunt as the narrator and T.C. Carson as Kratos is equally ambitious and just as high in quality. As I always recommend, play the game with headphones or you'll miss a lot of the little audio details. If you've played previous games in the series, some of the effects are immediately noticeable such as the piercing screams of medusa being beheaded and the chain-rattling swoosh of the Blades of Chaos.

The God of War series has never been know for its length, and God of War: Chains of Olympus is no exception. Clocking in at around 6 hours (on normal difficulty), it's a little shorter than the first game and nearly half the length of II. Being a game that really sucks you in, the time just flies by and before you realize it, it ends. A few of the puzzles may tack a few extra minutes on, as well as seeking out those hidden chests and fully powering up your abilities, but that's about it. For experienced God of War players, it's probably worthwhile to take on the higher difficulty levels right from the start. Either way, there is thankfully a nice amount of bonus content including unlockable skins, modes, videos, challenge missions and others. The challenge missions in particular are actually very challenging, maybe more so than the game itself.

God of War: Chains of Olympus is precisely the brutal action-adventure experience that we all hoped it would be. There's not much else that can be said about Kratos' first big portable adventure, except that it's another must-own PSP title. By the Gods, don't miss it.