It wouldn't be too difficult to confuse the two since they both seem to have one thing in common – the evil little monkey known as Specter. Specter is back except this time he has a different plan in mind for world domination. The game begins with you playing a character named Spike. Spike is a young boy who is on his way to meet up with the Professor who is inventing a Time Machine. When you arrive to meet the Professor, you notice that both he and his assistant are tied up. Something smells of monkey trouble already. Specter is on the loose followed closely by his troublesome little band of monkeys. It's up to you (Spike) to sort this mess out, quick-smart.

Familiarity in a game can be comforting. If you have played any of the previous Ape Escape games, you will understand what we mean; the problem with too much familiarity is that originality seems to take a back seat. That's when games can sometimes become a little too pre-determined and predictable. The Ape Escape series all seem to have a similar game template: gadgets galore, lots of monkeys and Specter. It wouldn't hurt to spice the game up a little with something that didn't fit into the pattern of chasing Specter and acquiring new gadgets.

The one redeeming feature about the Ape Escape games happens to be the action and pace. You will never be lost for something to do in the game.

The controls, again, are top-notch. The maps are easily navigated and movement is fluid. Even with only one analogue stick, movement is still pretty easy within the game and accessing gadgets is also quite straightforward. The only difficulty with movement relates to the camera angle - watch out for this because it can be a little frustrating having to change your view. The menus are also easily accessed.

Did someone mention minigames? It just wouldn't be an Ape Escape game without this funky feature. The minigames for Ape Escape: On the Loose are a great addition to the game and a good way to break the monotony of catching apes all the time. You can box your way through the apes or even snowboard race other monkeys. Ape Escape games are never short on whacky, out-there, monkey-fest antics. You can bet your banana peel on that...

The graphical content of On the Loose is well done. The animation is smooth and the backgrounds appear more vibrant than the PS2 version of this game. The music used in the game is quirky and up-beat with a whole lot of synthesised sounds that would really appeal to a younger audience.

The level design is impressive with awesome detail. Getting through the levels is fun with the only minor hitch being navigation with, you guessed it, the camera angles. What should be a relatively easy task to undertake turns out to be an exercise in frustration when you're trying to get from one platform to another. If you find yourself getting to that point, it's definitely time to leave the level behind and settle for some minigame relief.

We found it difficult to break away from the monkey-related mayhem to compare Ape Escape: On the Loose to, say, its predecessor on the PlayStation. The similarities are glaringly obvious and perhaps a little too much so. The Ape Escape games are definitely made of the right stuff for kids, but perhaps not really challenging enough for the adults.

It's great when a relatively good game is remade with the enjoyable aspects of the game still intact. On the Loose is, without a doubt, a vast improvement on the PlayStation version.

Aside from the rather small matter of difficult camera angles and perhaps a little too much of the same old same old, On the Loose is definitely the kind of game you'd love to buy your kids. With around 20-plus levels of non-stop action and fun, this game is great for keeping the younger members of your family occupied for hours.