Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins pits both novice and veteran gamers against the forces of evil. But with a game this difficult, are the bad guys destined to win?

Boxers or briefs has never been a necessary question for Arthur, the oft scantily-clad hero of the Ghosts 'N Goblins series. In the early days of gaming, back before controllers had more than four buttons, Ghosts and Goblins rampaged across arcades and consoles around the world with a level of challenge that most mere mortals could barely best. Now our hero returns to battle in Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins for the PSP and the fight has never been harder.

For those of you unfamiliar with the tale, Satan desired to mix his blood with that of the poor, helpless princess and was royally trounced by Arthur. However, now a more powerful, evil force has gained the princess and plans to unleash unimaginable darkness on the world. Ok, so you got the gist of the story, unnecessary as that may be. The real story behind the Ghost and Goblins series is the outrageously difficulty of the game that has caused controllers to be hurled across rooms, TV’s punched and no doubt a few broken knuckles and knickknacks. Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins ranks right up there with it’s predecessors in challenge, but you’d best think twice before tossing the ol’ PSP when you die for the umpteen billionth time.



Old-school gamers will feel right at home with Arthur’s quest as he pits himself against the endless hordes of demons, zombies and ghouls that hurl themselves at him with every step. Just as in the past, things are pretty straightforward in both control and gameplay. Jump. Throw or shoot weapon. Run. The concept may seem simple enough but that seeming simplicity hides the truth that this game is friggin’ hard. Arthur can only aim forward, up, left and right.

There is no shooting in diagonals, but the monsters don’t care about your lack of dexterity, they come at you from all angles. And even though Arthur gets the ability to double jump and dash, it’s not that much of a consolation when his ability to leap leaves so much to be desired. If you plan it right, you might (emphasis on the word “might”) land on whatever it is you were aiming at. Just don’t count on it. Capcom did throw in a few new moves and some magic for Arthur to play around with, but even veteran gamers will find some touch of frustration with trying to get our hero to avoid death.