Released back in 2006, the original LocoRoco was something of a novelty, a game that had clearly been designed around the strengths of the system rather than trying to use it like a handheld PS2. It was also charming, surreal, loveable and bloody good fun to boot. Now with the imminent release of LocoRoco 2 it's time to take a peak and see what the good people at have in store for us this time.

It seems that the evil Moja have returned and brought with them their own terrible songs which suck the life out of everything by creating dark clouds called Bunyo, and it's up to you and the LocoRocos to get rid of them. There's apparently a second plot strand that involves the mother of the first game's big boss turning Mui Muis into Bui Buis with her kisses, which sounds so delightfully odd it brings a little smile to my face just thinking about it.

Plot craziness aside, anyone who played the original will remember how it all works, you use the L and R buttons to tilt the game world left and right while trying to guide the LocoRoco (blobs of happy, singing goo) towards an exit somewhere in each beautifully realised 2D level. A quick tap of the shoulder buttons together makes them jump, eating fruit makes them grow and pressing the circle button causes the larger fruit-swollen LocoRoco's to break up into smaller ones (in a cute way, don't worry about the poor little things) allowing them to pass through small gaps. That's pretty much it, it's a simple yet perfectly formed concept, and Sony have wisely not been tempted to mess too much with it.

That's not to say there's nowt new though, over the last two years it seems the LocoRoco have been hard at work learning new tricks. They're now able to grab onto things with their teeth, allowing them to manipulate switches and leavers among other things, as well as mastering the art of digging underground, operating Mechs and clinging onto walls. There are also in game surprises like rhythm sections that you have to complete to trigger specific events, waking up a huge creature that clears a path for you is one such example. All of the new abilities are gradually revealed over the course of twenty five new stages, including for the first time underwater levels to explore, that are populated with a whole host of new characters to meet.

There's also a load of new mini games too, from the 'Whack a mole'-esque Nyokki Nyon Yokki and the side scrolling shoot-em-up action of Bui Bui Bwooooon to the battles of Loco Rider where you have to try and push your opponents into hazards, while trying to grow as big as possible to win.

One thing worth noting is these new features don't come at the expense of the little touches that made the original such a joy, it remains as wonderfully cute and charming as ever and yes, the LocoRoco still sing along to the as you play.

It's hard to see what more Sony could have done to improve on the already fantastic original, the purity of the basic idea remains the same and the new abilities add a welcome degree of depth, while the mini games add longevity to an already sizable package. How it all plays come release will be the ultimate test but from what we've seen so far there's very little to suggest LocoRoco 2 will be anything less than a success.

By Paul Newcombe