Sounds okay. Not exactly groundbreaking though, is it?
Yes it is! Sprocket uses a new kind of physics engine whereby every object in the game is assigned a realistic mass, giving the game a uniquely natural feel. Everything behaves pretty much how it does in real-life - leave Sprocket halfway up a steep incline and he'll slowly roll-back down, gathering speed all the way. Admittedly it's pretty damned hard to illustrate this with a bunch of screenshots; you'll just have to trust us on this one.

How about the levels - vast and varied or one and... erm... samey?
There are seven huge environments in all, making up the wonderful Whoopie World. Each is filled with plenty of puzzles and traps set by the wicked Jo Jo, as well as loads of secret areas. Different vehicles become available to Sprocket at certain times, from cars and boats to a robotic porpoise! Some of the puzzles sound particularly original.

Such as?
One involves a bunch of cheeky screws that occasionally bounce past. You have to grab them in your tractor beam and take them to a large structure with holes in. Once you've filled all the holes, a machine will be revealed. But not just any old machine - we're talking a full-on, state-of-the-art, bells and whistles rollercoaster creator. And that's not the end of the puzzle - you now have to create a rollercoaster and then ride it in order to collect bountiful power-ups.

Sounds like Ubi Soft are onto a winner.
Sure does. There's only one thing that could possibly spoil the party - it's big and brown...

A poo?
No. It's big, brown and furry, and it's also set for a December release.

Donkey Kong 64?
Correct. And while Sprocket certainly looks set to breathe new life into the platform genre, many gamers will simply go with what they know. It's pretty unlikely that Rare would produce anything other than a top-notch game. Maybe Ubi Soft should sneak this one in first, with an unlimited marketing budget.

* Incredible 'fun' physics engine
* Plenty of puzzles and sub-games
* Visually delicious - could give Rare a run for their money
* You can ride a robotic porpoise!
* It'll be going head-to-head with Donkey Kong 64