Against the odds

Sony PlayStation £34.99

Sony PlayStation £34.99

How is it the little guys are always left to do the hard work? Spyro, the hero of this piece, was somehow missed out when the resident baddie (Gnasty Gnorc) decided to freeze all his big buddies, and he has been left with the huge task of rescuing them and recovering all their stolen treasure.

Spyro is cute - very cute - and despite his ability to torch the living daylights out of his enemies, he is still adorable. But don't let this fool you into thinking that this game is a soft touch or is just for the younger gameplayer. It's far more. Immediately, comparisons have to be made to Mario 64 because this game is a really good looker. But the comparisons run deeper than that. Spyro The Dragon is a true 3D platformer: you explore different worlds, collect gems, encounter bosses etc. While that might sound like something we have seen 1,000 times before, when it is done with such style and panache - like Mario 64 - it is a hard combination to beat.

What makes this even more impressive is the fact that the designers have managed to cram all this onto the PlayStation, making the argument for owning an N64 a lot weaker. Once you get down to the nittygritty, Spyro is an agile little dragon. He can jump, charge, glide, fly and breathe fire. His life metre is Sparks, the dragonfly, and he accompanies you everywhere you go.

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Spyro The Dragon is a dream to play. The animation is excellent and the accompanying soundtrack (courtesy of Stewart Copeland of The Police) is very well done. While it isn't a hardcore platformer, it's certainly not child's play, and as the game progresses even the hardened gameplayer will be challenged. Spyro has something for everyone - fantastic graphics, excellent music, great level design and brilliant camera angles - and is fun to play. It's a real gem just waiting to be discovered. Go on, spoil yourself.

Graphics: 94%

Sound: 93%

Gameplay: 94%