Graphics

In one word, lucious. We've got sharp colours in the foreground, representing or limbless hero, detailed foreground scenery and a pastel parallax scrolling background behind him. And this pastel background is probably one of the biggest gotchas of Rayman 3. The scenery in the background can sometimes look so solid that you jump, aiming to grab onto something in the background - but fall in the water because there's nothing there. Ooops.

Rayman himself is a wonderful creation. He's got a detailed head and body, boxing gloves for hands that he can throw out like a yo-yo to attack opponents, and feet that swing everywhere. No arms and no legs - but that doesn't seem to make much difference, Rayman is perfectly formed.

This is cutesy console graphics on the move, most definitely.

Sound

Crisp, clear and appropriate. High powered musical dance number in the menus, a bit more subdued and atmospheric in the game. Lots of plinks and plonks from the background, whistlings and chirps from the jumping. Nothing detracts from the game (which is good).

And the Helicopter Ears noise is wonderful.

Gameplay

Grab as many lams (Gold Balls) as possible. Some of them are in obvious places (like right in front of you) and some are up climbing vines, then a perilous jump, then a bit of helicopter like flying with your wiggling ears. No suprises in the gameplay, but that means everything that's expected of a modern 2-D platformer is here, so no complaints. Control response is critical in this style of gaming, and Rayman yet again fails to dissapoint (ie it's quite good). You've got the D-Pad, and the Jump/Punch buttons... and that's it. So simple even my Dad could pick it up in 5 minutes.

Story

Some games need an in-depth story (Tomb Raider). Some games develop a story as they progress (Red Faction). Some games tack on a story because it's expected (Puyo Pop). Rayman falls somewhere in between. One of your friends who's not at all fast at moving, has been kidnapped, and it's up to you (as Rayman) to go and rescue him. As you're travelling a friendly bee keeps you updated with what's going on, and sometimes giving helpful advice (because you've not read the manual, have you, you just started playing. Be honest!).

Summary

Rayman is a solid platform game - lush graphics, lots of jumping just right to get somewhere, challenging locations of things to collect, and a nice range of baddies to keep you on your toes. Everything is nicely polished, but there's nothing that makes it stand out from the crowd. But being the first in the crowd means Rayman 3 has a special place with the N-Gage. With no other platformer out in the near future, our limbless hero takes the top spot. ES