Things often come round full circle. Twenty years ago Sabreman was launched onto the Spectrum in Sabrewulf, an arcade adventure requiring you to hunt down the four pieces of an amulet to magically seal the legendary Wulf away. He then starred in the groundbreaking, isometric Knightlore, followed by sequels Underwurlde and Pentagram. Things then went quiet as the developers, Ultimate, turned into Rare. Twenty years hence, Sabreman is once again the star of a new adventure for a new generation.

The amulet, so carefully reassembled before, has been deliberately broken apart by a man called Dr Dolittle-Goode, and now that the Wulf is free, it is causing chaos across the land. The method of retrieving the amulet parts is no longer in the manner of an arcade adventure however, more a puzzle and strategy-type affair with an arcade slant. In each of the areas the Wulf has set up a number of lairs; the task ahead being to retrieve any useful items and treasure guarded within. After all the lairs have been beaten, the Dolittle-Goode laboratory there present can then be assaulted and a piece of the amulet retrieved.

Sabreman is no longer the sprightly young fellow he used to be, so after being recruited once more to defeat the Wulf, he finds himself in need of a little creature assistance. Each level is populated by a number of nasty entities, and Sabreman must use any friendly creatures he has acquired to either neutralise or bypass these obstacles. These include explosive dragons, serpents that act as makeshift platforms, giant bats that can float Sabreman upwards, and so on. Once at the end of each level, the treasure can be grabbed and then it's a race back to the start with the Wulf right on your heels.

Sabreman's advancing years and the namesake title aren't the only whiffs of nostalgia present. Just about every release from Ultimate's past catalogue is either name- or visually checked in some way within the game. The trademark Rare-type play-on-words humour is also present and correct, and quite often raises a smile. It has everything familiar, welcome and pleasing that gamers have come to expect from an Ultimate/Rare game, but it plays quite differently to almost anything they've produced before.

This in itself comes as a bit of a shock, and there is also the fact that the game is different to what the consensus were expecting the game to be like from all the pre-release footage and information. Outside of the lair levels, the game is very much an RPG-type affair, with some exploration, talking to NPCs and taking items from A to B being the order of the day. It is very much a mix of styles that come together to form some sort of cohesive, playable whole. Once the slight confusion about what to do wears off, it is a lot easier to warm to and get into the game overall.

As usual with a Rare title, the aesthetics are superb and the presentation is of a very high standard. It looks very much like their other GBA title, Banjo & Kazooie, with the same style of pseudo-CGI character modelling and backgrounds. Visually it is very striking and impressive, though a little blocky, but full of character and definition. The audio is where real praise must lie with this title, for it is one of the best sounding portable games ever. The pieces of music for each level are atmospheric and catchy; the incidental ditties and sound effects are spot on, and there are plenty of humorous comments and catchphrases from Sabreman such as "Leg it!" and "Scarper!" done in the olde Victorian uppercrust accent style.

Aside from the name and the protagonists, the new Sabre Wulf game has little to do with its predecessor. Of course, this doesn't automatically mean it isn't any good. In fact, whilst it appears on the surface to be quite shallow, once played it is apparent that this is a rather complex puzzle game. There is usually more than one way to solve each level, and the fact that the treasure decreases in value the longer it takes to reach the end means speed and timing are of the essence. Also present to enhance longevity is a challenge mode for each level, where a limited number of creatures are available with the object being to complete a time trial in order to acquire them. The exclusive "R" rating for each is required to obtain the fabled Rare 100% rating for the game.

Indeed, going for as much completion rating as possible lays the game open to be considered a hefty challenge. Getting to know the levels is important, and much joy and inner warmth can be felt when completing some of them, even to the extent of punching the air in celebration. Easy this is not, at times. The satisfaction of reward (and subtle smiling) at finally grabbing another gold treasure (though you still have to get it back!) allows the game to not only be replayed but challenged repeatedly, looking to trim time off any run.

So, whether you buy into this game really depends on if you still buy into the Rare brand. Strangely enough, the handheld titles seem to have more promise and quality about them than the home console games. Perhaps it is the nature of the medium and the goal of delivering something fun, bite-sized and addictive instead of trying too hard to produce some mega-overblown, hyper-hyped "experience" that doesn't ultimately (hah!) deliver. The game can be finished in a handful of hours if beating the lairs is all that is attempted, but there are a huge amount of subsidiary side tasks and gold treasure acquisition to complete otherwise. All in all, a polished game that deserves a delve to see if it appeals to you or not.