Ultimate Ghosts 'n' Goblins

Secret items are woven craftily into the fabric of every stage, hidden from all but eagle eyes and available only to the procurers of various upgraded abilities.

With its new shields and spells, G'n'G has completed a double jump from arcade to console. The first hop to Megadrive brought infinite continues and a realistic chance of completion. This second to PSP brings a far greater change of tack, capitalising on opportunities that conservative instinct previously dismissed.

So where the coin-op template prohibited time-outs and strategy play, now there's a sizeable pop-up inventory. The charge and blast system of previous armours has given way to a more incremental power-up gauge, which cycles continuously thanks to liberally scattered potion bottles.

Above: The special effects are starting to resemble the original artwork. At last