Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

The Good
Ever since Mario, platform games have been the type of games nobody can hate. It's just not possible. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus is no different. You control Sly Cooper, a suave, debonair racoon thief who is trying to steal back his family heirloom, the Thievius Racoonus. It is a book passed down from generation to generation, filled with the legacies and wisdom of Sly's ancestors. As a kid, it was stolen from Sly Cooper, and now he wants it back.

In the game you are pitted against five devious villains, in five different worlds. Each has his own unique setting, from the casinos and alleyways of a Las Vegas type setting, to the dreary swamps of the Haitian jungle, and all of them have their own special attributes and skilled enemies. You have to use your trusty cane to smash, swing, slide, and smack your way to victory. Each of the five worlds contains seven levels, and all seven levels have a key at the end, and when you have all seven keys, you battle against one of the "Fiendish Five".

Along the way you'll get help from your two trusty pals: Bentely, the mastermind of your operations (who happens to be a turtle), and Murray, the skilled driver (who happens to be a pink hippopotumas). And in most levels you can collect clue bottles, to which Bentely will put all the clues together and figure out the combination to a safe, where you will find new skills to help you along the way. These skills include using your hat as a landmine and fooling the enemy with a silhouette cutout of yourself.

Along with the varied mini-games, silly but challenging bosses, and excellent graphics, you've got yourself a fresh new platformer no gamer can do without.

The Bad
Some of the mini-games can become quite irritating, but it's all the more rewarding in the end.

The Bottom Line
An all around good game. It is the type of game you can just sit down and have fun with.