​By Ryan Winslett

Anyone who took the time to sink their teeth into the first God of War game for the PSP, Chains of Olympus, knows that developer Ready at Dawn managed to cram everything gamers have come to know and love about the series onto a tiny UMD disc.

Rather than a slimmed-down sibling to the console iterations, CoO stood tall in the series, providing an epic story with equally epic gameplay. 

Now that I've had the opportunity to play the demo for the follow-up, Ghost of Sparta, I feel pretty confident Ready at Dawn has managed to capture lighting in a bottle for a second time.

The Ghost of Sparta demo begins with Kratos riding a ship to the city of Atlantis, being tossed in a stormy sea while Atlantian guards try to stop our ashen hero from reaching his destination. 

The first thing you'll notice is that this game looks and sounds amazing. The environment comes to life amidst rolling waves and crashing lightning, providing an impressive backdrop for the tutorial battle where we learn Kratos has brought a couple new play mechanics to the party.

If a bad guy sneaks up from behind and grabs you, the player must quickly tap the L and R buttons to break free. A "Hyperian charge" is also available, allowing Kratos to slam into an enemy and drive them to the ground before dispatching them in a variety of ways.

Like any good God of War game, the adrenaline got pumping quickly once I was waging handheld war against killer spider-crabs and a sea monster that had mistaken my boat for a bath toy. Soon we're on the shore, fighting a screen-filling Skylla, the creature that just turned my ship into toothpicks.

Ghost of Sparta even borrows a few tricks from God of War 3, including blood that actually clings to Kratos' body before being washed away by the rain. Quick time events, too, have received an overhaul, moving prompts to the outside edge of the screen and allowing players to enjoy the carnage as it unfolds while inputting the proper commands.

Swimming is also introduced, which should come as no surprise considering the fact Kratos is leading an assault on Atlantis. I was playing with headphones to get the most out of the sound and the underwater ambient noises are particularly well done.

Before long I was granted a new item, the Eye of Atlantis, that allows Kratos to unleash a controllable stream of lighting, perfect for taking out groups of enemies. The blast is small at first, then builds in intensity, showing off even more impressive lighting and sound effects.

The levels and character designs have also seen a visual upgrade, making this one of the most detailed games to ever appear on the PSP. Everything just looks and sounds amazing.

Chains of Olympus was praised for providing weapons the player would actually want to use and Ghost of Sparta looks to achieve that same goal.

The demo gives you a chance to try out the "Arms of Sparta," a shield and spear combo that features its own set of moves. The spear can be thrown or swung about and a special multi-hit attack can be activated with the shield raised. Both the Arms of Sparta and the Eye of Atlantis were a blast to use, and I can't wait to see what other options the full game will provide to keep the combat fresh.

The demo only lasts about 20 minutes, but that was more than enough time to see Ghost of Sparta is gunning for Olympian heights in both presentation and execution. If this quality can be maintained throughout, PSP players everywhere should be in for a real treat once God of War: Ghost of Sparta releases November 2.