Previews// Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic

The single-player campaign gets you into the game, but ultimately feels more like a prolonged tutorial than the meat of the game. In the campaign, you'll be introduced to the bizarre cast and learn how to pull off moves such as the firefly (flaming punch/kick that sends you jetting round the screen) and techniques associated with platforming such as ledge-grabbing.

The controls are not, by a long-shot, deep. Punch, kick, jump and you've got the basics. On top of that you've got a couple of special moves derived from the build-up of "chi" and a bit of Sixaxis waggling (such as the aforementioned Firefly) to master and you're pretty much there. That's not to say, however, that button-mashing is enough to see you through. The platforming elements of the game make you so mobile that there's a degree of tactical thought that comes into play. That's why I'm awesome and Tim SPOnG sucks.

Having just crowed my awesomeness at beating up my elders - maybe it's just my ineptitude at finicky platforming-type gameplay, but in certain challenges the difficulty gradient felt more like a spiky graph than a curve. On the 'Acrobatics' level, for example, I found myself cursing in frustration as I tried to navigate between ledges without my feet touching the ground. It very much reminded me of parts of LittleBigPlanet – the annoyingly difficult parts.

But, as I said, the single-player isn't the meat here. It's fun and oozes the same (I'm going to say it) 'quirky' charm as the multi-player, but it's short and not that fulfilling.

The real fun to be had is in the multi-player. The options aren't vast: Deathmatch, King of the Hill, Steal the Fish and Dodgeball, spread across a handful of levels, but they're crazy-fun.

Smacking your opponent around with your chi as he makes assorted yapping noises is enough to make even cynical, dead-inside, beardy editors giggle with delight. Throw in another two players for four-player carnage and you get... well, carnage. The good kind. The kind that supports four people, either locally or online.

There is also a customisation option. It's there, it works. It's a bit meh. You get a range of default options, then you get more as you unlock different bits and pieces. It's not particularly deep and it doesn't feel all that necessary, but it's there.

If you're looking for a deep fighter, go back to Street Fighter IV. If you're looking for a single-player experience of any significant substance, get yourself back to LittleBigPlanet. If you're looking for something to whack on when your mates are round that'll give you a manly giggle, though, then pump some emoney into the PlayStation Network and treat yourself to Rag Doll Kung Fu when it lands on April 9th at £7.99.