Moving on from the pretty lights, Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code doesn't dilly dally around. Once you embark upon a new adventure, the first screen you encounter is the character select screen. The Warrior's Code has five character classes to choose from; the Guardian – otherwise known as the Warrior class, the Mercenary, the Scout which is the equivalent of the acrobatic Rogue character class, the Disciple (magic user) and last but not least, the Prowler or Ranger/Hunter character class. That's a nice variety to choose from and the characters have an almost anime type look and feel to them.

The character customisation is great. You can customise hair colour and style; you can alter your character's skin tone and also choose your character's name. The next set of options relates to your character's attributes where you have a set amount of points to allocate to strength, stamina, intelligence and dexterity. You can also toggle the information by using the square button and to select different attributes, you use the 'X' button.

Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code offers several different game modes; Single player, Multiplayer Ad Hoc and Multiplayer over a LAN. Unfortunately, we were unable to test the multiplayer game play for this review. We created two different characters and tested them both via the single player game mode. Whilst the storyline is exactly the same, playing different characters can have a profound impact on how the game develops. With the ability to level up and obtain skill points to alter your character's attributes, you can definitely see an obvious difference between the strengths and weaknesses of each character. This game reminded us a lot of the old paper, pencil and dice days of Dungeons and Dragons in more ways than one, and that is all good for Warrior's Code.

The maps in the game are truly a delight to behold. As you complete each phase of the story, you are transported to a different area or map. The environments in the game take you everything from dank and poorly-lit dungeons to snow-covered landscapes. It's just brilliant. And as each phase of the story completes, your character becomes stronger and more equipped to take on tougher and more challenging opponents. Speaking of maps, another neat little bonus is the mini map that appears in the top right-hand corner of the screen. You can see exactly where the mobs are, assuming they're not invisible to begin with, of course. Loading times in between are also short and sweet.

We did find some of the combat sequences a little generic but hacking and slashing your way through mobs isn't really supposed to be that thrilling unless you get close to dying. You want to avoid dying but if you find you're just not the hero you thought you were and you die a little earlier than expected, never fear. One aspect of this game is the save point you reach as you adventure through, although you can always manually save the game by pressing the 'O' button and using the game options.

It's highly recommended to try out a few of the characters. The characters in Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code seem to fit into character class templates that are common in many hack-and-slash RPGs, and many will be familiar with the fighter, the magic user, the hunter and the hybrid. There doesn't need to be a whole lot of variety when it comes to character classes, although having the equivalent in female alternatives to male classes in the game might have been a nice addition.

The cut-scenes in the game piece together aspects of the storyline. Whilst the story itself tends to be lacking in depth, the gameplay more than makes up for this. There really isn't much you can do with a storyline that involves a big, bad ugly who threatens to take over the world and do evil things. This is the one area that could have done with more development time.

There are a few things in this game that have been slightly overhauled since the previous game. The inventory looks like it took a chop here and there which is no real loss. But probably the most noticeable difference in this game would have to be the combat options. Now, your character can utilise what is called 'Attacks of Opportunity'. This is when your character can inflict the most amount of damage on your opponent. It's a nice touch and would definitely be a huge advantage if you decide to play a character class that might struggle with combat. And let's not forget your character's special abilities which you get to enhance and improve as your character gains levels.

A good old hack-and-slash game is always fun, but it's great to be able to do it all on a handheld. Picking up gold and potions may be old school RPG, but it's good to see all of these fundamental RPG elements combined with new, flashy and detailed animation. Sony has definitely upped the ante in the second instalment of Untold Legends by improving every major aspect of gameplay from the level of graphical detail to the combat options and the expansive environments. A pretty game does not a great game make, but we were more than satisfied with what we saw in The Warrior's Code.