The graphics on Pursuit Force are stunning. They are some of the best so far on the PSP. The characters movements are realistic and make you feel part of the game. Even jumping from one vehicle to another seems realistic, as does hanging on for dear life as the offenders try valiantly to shake you off the vehicle. The cars and landscapes are also visually impressive. The only visuals I didn't like are the pop up animations of other characters during the levels which for me seemed too cartoonish.

The sound is nothing special, but it's not bad either. For the most part the sounds consist of a vehicle engine and a siren and the sound of gunfire, all which sounds fine. The one problem I do have with the sound is the characters animations. As each character in a level pops up with something to say you'll hear a voice which is cartoon like speaking to you. Often it's your chief yelling at you, or the bad guys taunting you, but sometimes those you're saving can be heard as well. The first few times these characters pop up you wont mind, hell some are even funny like the mob snitch who yells to his pursuers "give my best to the Don's sister…wait I already did", but if you redo a level you will hear the same things over and over again, even during the level you'll hear the same things over and over again. Hearing the chief yell "stick to them like white on rice" 5 times in a level is not amusing. The concept is good, the execution wants quite there.

This is where Pursuit Force for all its innovation falls down. For a game in which most of the action revolves around a vehicle the controls of the vehicle seem quite sluggish. You will crash into almost any wall or other vehicle you get near no matter how hard you try not to (yes I did use the brake!). The time limits put a lot of pressure on you, sure you can hide down the back of the vehicle so the enemy can't shoot you, but given how quick everything is you just don't have time to do this and complete the mission. It's a fast paced game and often you will get through missions with minimal time remaining. Subsequently you probably don't really experience the little nuances which exist in the game like dodging bullets and changing to better vehicles when you have the chance.

The AI sucks. You'll be defending a convoy of 3 boats, the boats you're defending will actually swerve to get between you and the enemy boats, blocking your shots and stopping you from taking over their boats. This doesn't just happen in the boat level but also on the roads. I'm trying to kill these people for you, the least you can do is not deliberately move out of your way to get in between me.

Do you remember the old games on the PC before they figured out strafing? Where you used the 4 arrow keys and basically had difficulty moving with any semblance of fluidity? Well they're back. Once you're on foot your trusty copper will stumble around disoriented like he ahs a New Years day hangover. Sure running forwards is fine, but try moving to the right, his body will turn 90 degrees, the camera will give you a strange angle and chances are you'll get shot. It is so poor I cant describe in any other way than crap.

Do you like hard games with a steep learning curve? Then Pursuit Force is for you. The learning curve is extreme. I did the first 3 levels with no problems then got stuck for ages on the next few. It becomes frustrating more than anything and the reward for passing the level seems to be more frustration. It's difficult for several reasons such as the aforementioned stupid AI and time limits. Sure the time limits will stop you from taking a Sunday drive, but they make things very difficult as opposed to just being challenging.

I think a major flaw of this game is the difficulty. Once you get stuck and frustrated you probably won't want to keep going. I found that after the friendly AI thwarted my attempts to protect them several times I figured "stuff you, you can get shot then". There are 30 missions plus a host of unlockables that you'll get for getting grades (A, B, or C) but unless you're a diehard who has to get everything unlocked I can see this game as being one which you'll be happy to not bother unlocking everything.

Admittedly there is variation of the levels. From the use of a range of 4 wheeled vehicles, boats, motorbikes, a chopper, and your feet there's enough variety to keep it interesting. The levels have different goals as well, some are just to kill the bad guys (wait they all do that), some are to protect a convoy, and others are to escape the bad guys.

This really depends on whether you like it or not. I think that the average person will get incredibly frustrated and switch it off. If you do like it, and can put up with its flaws it's a game which I believe you will play over and over in an attempt to unlock everything. There's some mini games to unlock, but given the flaws of the main game, they're just not fun. Having a race using a car that has all the handling of a WWII tank isn't what I call inspiring or fun.

Pursuit Force is another good example of a great concept which doesn't quite translate into a great game. The concept of jumping from vehicles (and yes you can fire whilst in the air) is novel and actually quite fun. The graphics are good and lets face it, it's a (mostly) original idea. It'll be fun for a while before frustration sets in, but there are too many problems with this game for it to be taken seriously. Definitely worth a go, but it's one you'll be bored with all too soon.