Produced by: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan

Genre: Music

Players: One

From the creator of Parappa the Rappa comes a whole new way to listen to your CDs. Vib Ribbon is a quirky little game featuring a stick rabbit called Vibri who dances along a ribbon and has to negotiate obstacles generated by the music CD of your choice. Did I say this game was quirky yet?

The graphics are primitive. But then thy're meant to be. The simple black and white vector visuals are worryingly pleasing to the eye. Vibri is wonderfully animated, and for a stick rabbit, he has a wide range of expressions. The "game" involves simply pressing buttons that correspond to the obstacle. For example, a block is scaled by pressing L1. A gap is crossed by pushing up or down on the D-pad and a row of spikes is avoided by pressing X. If the tune you're playing is loud and fast, more complex combinations of these obstacles will appear - a block with a row of spikes on top of it for example. To cross these combination traps, you have to push several buttons at once - L1 and X in this instance. If you manage to cross several obstacles without messing up, you "evolve" into an angel. Conversely, if you fall foul of too many pitfalls, you turn into a frog and then after that, a worm.

And that's it. That is the game. When the track ends you are given a score and Vibri will do a little dance. Simple. There is no way of "completing" this game, because there is no limit to the number of levels. The game is only held back by your music collection. A large part of the appeal comes from trying out as many CDs as possible to find the most fiendish track (I find that live CDs offer the greatest challenge, the hardest one I've found so far is Ash's Live At The Wireless). The wonderful thing about this game is that it breathes new life into your old CDs. Since I've started playing it, I've rediscovered classic tracks that I'd forgotten about. Alternatively, you could just listen to the tracks included on the disc itself - there's some really kickin' Japanese J-Pop which I find myself actually liking, worryingly.

For those of you that need plot, depth and action - this game might not be what you're after. This isn't a title that you can play for hours on end. It's intended for a quick blast, maybe for half an hour or so at a time. Also, if you're the type of person that lives for flashy visuals, chances are you'll loathe Vib Ribbon. If you thought Chu Chu Rocket was a large step backwards, then you'll think this game is positively prehistoric. However, If you've got a modest to massive CD collection and you're after an original title for your PSX, this is it. The low price point (it's being released at £9.99 here in the UK) means that this is an impulse purchase more than anything else. What have you got to lose? Give Vibri a whirl, you might just like the little guy.

4 out of 5