Fluffy animals masquerading as platform action heroes are nothing new in the games market. Nor is Sly Racoons mission-based, gather-up-the-items gameplay a radical departure for the genre. No, its delight lies in the cel-shaded character and background graphics that persuade you that youve left the console world and entered into an interactive TV cartoon.
With in-game animation thats of a higher quality than many cartoon spin-off movies, and a neat little story about a Robin Hood-style thief getting back at the villains who did in his father, Sly Racoon is wonderful to behold. Its also thumb-numbingly addictive, with an easy learning curve, extra skill rewards at the end of each level and several trickier against-the-clock challenges for more hardened gamers.