Hand-Held Hardcore.

Back in the days of the PSone, while the world went crazy over Final Fantasy VII, a second Final Fantasy game slipped out almost unnoticed by the gaming masses.

This was Final Fantasy Tactics, a deep, engaging and fulfilling strategy RPG which mixed turn-based squad combat with role-playing trappings like an epic storyline – set in Ivalice, the same land which played host to this year’s superb PS2 hit Final Fantasy XII, incidentally – and some reasonably complex characterisation. Tuned-in strategy gamers loved it, and along with Vandal Hearts and Tactics Ogre it formed some sort of holy trinity of strategy which perhaps has not been bested on any format to this day.

Of course, none of these games saw a European release - meaning we had to chip our consoles or indulge in a dodgy activity known as "disc-swapping" to enjoy these tactical delights from Japan.

Souped up, shined up, beefed up

Ten years on, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions hits PSP - a souped up, shined up and beefed up handheld version of the original that we can enjoy without breaking the law or indulging in warranty-invalidating fun and games. Which is nice.

The main point of difference with this long-overdue version is the effort that has gone into perfecting the localisation. Whereas the original was translated poorly, and often made no sense, Square Enix have now put the kinds of effort into it which they gave to Final Fantasy XII and last year's Dragon Quest - in other words, it's superb, with the script completely re-written from scratch, and while it doesn't have the variety or mad humour of that found in, say, Dragon Quest, nonetheless it is epic, moving stuff presented in a classical, almost Shakespearean style with a series of wonderful and highly stylised new videos to keep the storyline moving.

The meat of the gameplay remains pretty much unchanged (though with a few welcome additions), as tough as ever and something you can really get your teeth into. Beneath the aged and simplistic (yet still gorgeous) visuals is a strategy game par excellence which allows you to build and develop a completely unique team using a version of the "job system" found in some Final Fantasy titles - notably number V, one of the best for this very reason. Starting with a band of "blank slate" squires, you can develop them into powerful knights, archers, mages, web content managers (OK maybe not that last one) and more, with abilities chosen from a selection so massive that no two gamer's teams are likely to ever be the same.

Prepare for pain

As your little army traverses Ivalice, you'll take part in skirmishes against enemy forces (it's not about thousands of men clashing as most strategy titles today are), and you'll need to select the most suitable group from your army for each battle. Once the battle has begun, each character can move and carry out an action in every turn - depending on which jobs and abilities they have of course - until one side or the other is beaten. Oh and by the way, losing nameless soldiers you've spent hours developing hurts. Of course you can repeatedly go back and replay skirmishes, but as Superman has learned repeatedly over the years, you can't save everyone.

Make no mistake, Final Fantasy Tactics is hardcore. It's not for everyone and it will take some considerable investment before it clicks - but when it does, oh boy it clicks, and becomes one of the most magnificently deep, engrossing, addictive and rewarding games in history, as well as a strong contender for the finest game on PSP to date.

GAME's Verdict

• A game to get lost in.
• One of the finest strategy games ever.
• Arguably the pinnacle of PSP gaming.

• Too hardcore for some.
• Takes quite a lot to get into.
• Noooo! I loved that little chemist / mage / archer dude! Whoever he was!

Review by: Jonny Austin
Review Published: 09.11.07