Raskulls

7 cert, Half Brick, Xbox Live * * * *

I love Half Brick's fast, witty, simple games, from Monster Dashto Fruit Ninja. Raskullsis as daffy as you'd expect, but it's also a nice step forward from the hand-held games. The story is silly – something about rats who crash a spaceship and need a rare stone and the heroic skeletons who stand in their way. Raskullsis a series of mini-platform levels, all very playable. You might find yourself racing through an area, solving little Tetris-like puzzles, or engaging in a Mario Brothers-style fight for survival. There are also elements of other fine platform properties, namely Sonic(the speedy power-ups) and Super Meat Boy(the crevasse-leaping action). The difficulty level is perfectly pitched, the layout appealing and logical, the graphics simple. This is a solid 2D platform title, buoyed by a broad sense of humour and instantly accessible controls. JOE GRIFFIN