This is the most colorful, most intricately detailed "Ratchet & Clank" game you've ever seen.

But for all its high-definition grandeur, "Tools of Destruction" is still very much a "Ratchet & Clank" game. That's a good thing - not an innovative, revolutionary new thing, but a good thing.

For the uninitiated, Ratchet is a "lombax," sort of a foxlike rabbit (or is that a rabbitlike fox?). Clank is his super smart diminutive robot sidekick. Together, they have foiled many galactic bad guys, starting way back in the early days of the PS2 era.

Their games involve a lot of crate smashing, a lot of jumping around from platform to platform and a lot of shooting with a variety of fun and funny weapons. There's rarely a slow moment as players blast their way through wave after wave of enemy goons, gaining upgrades to their goofy arsenal along the way.

You can put any plot to these games, and it won't matter. Fans play "Ratchet & Clank" titles because of the silly weapons. Tools of Destruction offers plenty of these, including:

• Buzz Blades, saw blades that home in on their targets.

•The Tornado Launcher (steer them by tilting the motion-sensitive SIXAXIS controller).

• The Swingshot, a grappling hook gun that allows our heroes to swing over gaping holes.

• The Geo Laser, a device that lets Ratchet drill through weak walls.

• The Groovitron, sort of a disco bomb that makes enemies get down.

• Mr. Zurkon, a tiny helper 'bot with a big mouth.

As usual, you'll be collecting a million jillion springs, nuts and bolts, the currency of our heroes' universe. They'll be trading the metal bits in for new and improved weapons and devices.

There are a few new vehicles to try out, on land and in space. And you can manually upgrade some weapons, opting to give them, say, a faster rate of fire over more powerful ammo. But all in all, Tools of Destruction feels like the same old Ratchet & Clank. Again, that's a good thing.

What's not so good is the lack of anything even resembling a multiplayer mode. Unless Sony has some kind of major downloadable upgrade planned, you'll be playing the new R&C game solo.

"Tools of Destruction" looks great, plays great and offers lots of laughs, tons of fun, etc., etc. But, beyond the amazing high-definition graphics, don't expect an evolutionary leap for the series.

Sidekick gets starring role on Playstation Portable

Game Informer Magazine

Developer High Impact Games is back after its successful run on "Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters" to make an entirely Clank-focused adventure. Taking place after "Size Matters" and before "Ratchet & Clank Future," this latest iteration finds our furry hero Ratchet wrongly locked up for crimes he didn't commit. His mechanical sidekick Clank dons his secret agent persona, previously seen in "Up Your Arsenal," and sets out to clear his friend's good name.

"When ideas were being proposed for a new 'Ratchet and Clank' PSP game we saw a lot of potential in the Agent Clank character," writer Oliver Wade says. "Having a secret agent for the main character allows for a lot of cool gadgets, weapons and gameplay." Gadgets in Clank's stash include cufflink mini-bombs and a "Tie-A-Rang" that can be tossed at enemies or used to chop suspension ropes and clear out blocked passages.

As part of his new sneaky identity, Clank will use timed button press sequences to slide past traps and alarms. In one scene we saw him backflip, limbo and break-dance through a particularly intricate laser grid. These sequences will also be implemented in stealth takedowns.

But just because Clank's on the marquee doesn't mean he'll be going it alone; both Ratchet and Captain Quark have been confirmed as playable characters.

"Secret Agent Clank" is slated for a vague 2008 release date as of now, but "Ratchet & Clank Future," which was just released for the PlayStation 3, should more than scratch that itch until then.