The storyline is a familiar one: yet again, the princess has been kidnapped by a powerful demon with a taste for royal blood. Having already had their respective demonic butts kicked several times over, you'd think the bad guys would have learned their lesson by now – or at least gone after simpler game. But they haven't, so Arthur the fearless knight sets off on another quest to rescue his beloved princess from the clutches of e-e-e-vil. The long and tortuous path to the underworld is fraught with dangers too numerous for mere mortals to comprehend; nevertheless our noble hero is willing to lay down his life for the princess once more. The mug.

Controls are extremely responsive - and they have to be, with the D-pad or analogue stick being used for general movement and the square, circle, cross, triangle and shoulder buttons employed for attack, magic, inventory management and jump/climb.

In addition to the usual moves, several new ones have been introduced in Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins: Arthur can now dash, hang off the edge of a platform, drop down or climb up said platform, perform a shield block, and even hover if he's using the right item.

There are some cool new items to be found, as well as the trusty old favourites. As far as weaponry is concerned we have the lance, grand lance, boomerang scythe, fire bottle, dagger, bomb, swallow blade, vine whip and scatter crossbow – each with its own unique properties and magic powers.

You can collect power-ups (PoWs) to level-up your weapons, thus increasing their reach, destructive power, number of shots etc. depending on which weapon is currently equipped. You can also change weapons after collecting a power-up, thus enjoying a little variety in your monster bashing action.

But weapons alone do not a hero make. Several types of armour can be donned to protect Arthur's pale hide - and his boxer shorts. We have your stock standard Knight armour, the stylish and more durable Warrior armour, and of course there's Emperor armour, which is the best of the bunch. Lastly there's cursed armour, of which there are two types: light and dark. Unfortunately you won't know which version you've got until you equip it, which adds an element of surprise to the game.

There is also a number of rare and unique items to be found along the way. When successfully acquired, these go into your inventory to be equipped when they are most needed. For instance, shields of varying strengths can be equipped to block attacks; the higher a shield's quality, the more durable and effective it is. One of them can even be used for a spot of sky surfing!

The icing on the cake to Arthur's impressive array of weapons, items and armour, is the ability to use magic powers - provided he has accumulated enough energy in the magic gauge. The four magical effects range from powerful explosions to invincibility, to temporarily turning enemies into stone - and even use them as stepping stones.

Monsters run the gamut from wimpy and predictable easy-beats to armoured, screen-filling bosses with nasty attacks. As with most platform games, timing, observation and a bit of experimentation is the key to defeating Arthur's numerous enemies. Of course, monsters aren't the only hazards he has to contend with; the terrain can spring some very unpleasant surprises, too.

In true Ghosts 'n Goblins tradition, the game is every bit as difficult as its predecessors – even on the easiest setting. However, the frustration factor is offset by several redeeming features: extra lives, respawning on or near the spot where Arthur died rather than at the beginning of the level; and being able to continue where you left off, once the game is over. With these taken into account we found the overall gameplay to be well balanced. Seasoned GNG players can crank up the difficulty to suit their preference, but take our word for it; try anything over Novice setting and you're bordering on mission impossible.

Graphics are a mouth-watering combo of old school 2D found in most side-scrolling platform games of the original Ghosts 'n Goblins era, and colourful, highly detailed semi-3D. The fearless knight we've come to know and love has undergone a bit of a revamp, whilst retaining all of his trademark features – including the goofy, splay-legged leap and those boxer shorts. There is always plenty happening onscreen, but you will have no trouble keeping track of all the action.

Retro gamers will recognise familiar strains of the original theme music, but like everything else in Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, it has been given the PSP makeover treatment, which makes for pleasant listening indeed.