First there was Phantasy Star Online, released on the Dreamcast to huge critical acclaim due to it being the first ever console-only online RPG. Then followed PSO Episodes I & II on the Gamecube which added a wealth of content including a new storyline and a whole host of new monsters, weapons to kill them with, items and even brand new character classes. Sadly it wasn't as popular as it could have been due to Nintendo's reluctance to take part in the online world. Then followed Phantasy Star Universe, which got the online part right yet failed to captivate in the same way that earlier titles had in the gameplay department. Fast-forward to the present day and a new entry into the online RPG series has arrived in the form of Phantasy Star 0 and it's... on the DS?

It may be a prequel but don't be fooled into thinking that it's any less featured than the original PSO... well actually it is in some ways but what it lacks it makes up for in some great improvements. For instance, some had in the past criticised the lack of a 'proper' story, while here Sega have opted to labour the game with mini cut-scenes and dialogue driven sections in order to flesh things out somewhat and to their credit it works to a degree even if it isn't the most inspiring of plots. But as for the real gameplay enhancements this game essentially takes the core elements of Phantasy Star Online plus some aspects of Phantasy Star Universe and combines them in a way that works well; you still have many classes available to you, in fact there even brand new classes for you to play about with in addition to the originals. One thing you'll notice about the characters though is they are rather 'chibi' and lack the adultness of the avatars from PSO.

Other improvements include photon arts which are individually linked to weapons and only consume part of your 'TP' as opposed to having to 'charge' individual weapons - another drawback from PSU - there are new weapons too including the new Gun-blades which allow you to hack and slash one minute and then - by holding the shoulder button - lets you rattle off some projectiles in the general direction of the enemies; the palette makes a welcome return even if it is a little 'limited' due to the slightly cramped control scheme, the developers have still done their best to make things work on Nintendo's beloved handheld

Structurally the game is identical in both online and offline modes as there are no lobbies here - bad for people who like to sit around and just chat but good for those of us who actually like to get straight into the actual game; you have the 'City' area where you can stock up on items, weapons and the like, this is also where you find the 'Bank' where you store your spoils - shared storage is also included - plus view records via a nifty achievement-like system which rewards you the more you play. Most importantly you have the 'Guild' where you accept quests - then it's off to the teleporter to slay some monsters!

Everything in the game is rendered rather lovingly in 3D, this is particularly evident when you're one one of the planets surfaces, it may be limited in some ways like the ground being flat and the backgrounds being obvious but a lot of effort has been put into making it all look and feel believable and it works. The fact that you can only see part of the map is a slight drawback but it does encourage exploration which works to the games advantage; enemies are varied, there are some interesting choices here plus some old favourites, Boomas and Rappies make a return but only if you're lucky enough to see them... there are a handful of new bosses to slay as well which are satisfying enough to take down on your own but really are more fun to slay together online.

And it's online where you'll get the most out of the game, if you know of up to three others who are willing to share the experience with you. Don't despair if you can't find anyone because you can choose to play online with random peoples, albeit losing the ability to communicate via pictures and user-inputted text (after all, Nintendo can't have random people going around suggesting that your 'mother is a hamster' or that your 'father smells of elderberries!) But in all seriousness whether you can communicate properly or not (and you still have access to pre-determined text entries when playing randomly) you're gonna have a blast. Though obviously the whole experience is that much more memorable when you can share it in a more complete manner.

There is a lot to love here as a huge wealth of content has been put into this game so you're never short of things to hunt, the part-random level generation helps with replay value too as do the rare places such as the bakey and battle arena which only appear every once in a while when exploring the maps in their entirety. You can augment your weapons as you progress through the game so that they deal more damage, and there's a hidden black-market which you get to unlock part-way through. Content is not a problem for this edition of PSO - the only thing that holds it back is the fact that it not only pushes the consoles limitations but sometimes feels like its outgrown the DS. While you will get a lot out of the game it doesn't change the fact that for all of its portability it would have felt a lot more comfortable on a home console. For the time being though, the series has found a new albeit temporary home within the confines of the little handheld that could.

Final scores lie below...