After a rough time on the PS2, Syphon Filter came to the PSP and immediately wowed just about everyone who played it. The game not only managed to squeeze in excellent visuals that showed what the system could do, but it also managed to put together a great control setup that was able to bypass the system's lack of dual analog control. Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow brings the same visuals and controls back for the sequel, while also delivering an engaging story and new underwater levels.

Dark Mirror set a standard for how games can look on the PSP, and Logan's Shadow only raises the bar. Although the improvements aren't immediately noticeable, the visuals have been polished up a bit since the last game. Environments are a little more complicated and diverse, taking you from a tanker ship to secret military outposts. Some levels will even have you swimming deep underwater. Animations are pretty good, though there is an understandable lack of variety. In addition, the framerate manages to stay steady, even when a lot is happening on-screen.

The story is really well-written and supported by strong voicework. As with the last game, there are a few "action movie" moments, but the general story does a really good job at getting you a little more involved with the characters than your typical action game. Music also goes far in adding just the right amount of aural atmosphere.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow presents a much different story that the last game. Playing as Gabe Logan, you are part of an agency that doesn't really exist that takes care of sensitive world situations. The game opens with a mission aboard a ship that has been taken over by a terrorist named Bitar. It turns out that Bitar is after something on the ship, but no one is telling Gabe just what that cargo is. The mission begins to fall apart, and at least one major character dies early on - eventually leading to Gabe's unit practically being shut down. On top of that, Gabe's longtime partner, Lian Xing, is accused of being a traitor...

Logan's Shadow follows a similar pattern as previous games in the series. Missions are linear and straightforward. Although most missions involve the same basic elements, there is a nice variety of goals to accomplish. In one, you might have to sneak into a location and grab intel, while in another you could find yourself in the middle of a frenzied fire fight.

In addition to stealth/action gameplay, Logan's Shadow also introduces a few new play mechanics. One of the major additions is the new underwater levels. At various points in the mission, you'll have to go underwater to complete certain objectives, such as in the second mission where you have to figure out what the cargo ship was holding. Diving sequences play much like land-based missions, only enemies can come at you from all directions. The controls during these sequences are very easy to get used to, which was one of my major concerns going into the game.

In addition to the single-player experience, Logan's Shadow also includes Multiplayer Modes. These range from standard online Deathmatches to Co-op gameplay through some of the levels. The online experience is just as much fun as the ones found in Dark Mirror and even goes a little deeper by offering features like player profiles, ranked matches and leaderboards.

Mission structure is very straightforward; you are given a mission objective and can complete it however you can. Sometimes you can simply sneak around and silently take out enemy soldiers, though you can also run around like a gun-toting madman and get the same results. If you choose to play by the second method, the number of guards you come across will increase, giving you plenty of new targets while also bringing the difficulty inline with your play style.

The overall feel of the game's mission structure is good, though I did come across one nagging issue. Missions are pretty flexible as far as how you go about completing them. At the same time, I came across a few areas that needed to be triggered in order to proceed further. For instance, in an earlier mission I roamed around an area for a way to get to a goal point, but couldn't find it. After killing a certain enemy, a ladder instantly appeared, allowing me to get to the next point. On some level I understand the restriction, but at the same time, it did take me out of the experience.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow offers over fifty weapons, including a range of rifles and pistols. Really, if you can't find something you like, then you probably don't need it. While you would think that many weapons would overcomplicate things, it fits with the game's overall feel - lots of variety with as little hassle as possible. You can switch between weapons with the touch of a button and targeting is fairly simple once you get the hang of using the face buttons for aiming.

In addition to weapons, Gabe can also make use of a number of spy gadgets and moves. The multi-visor is back from the last game, which lets you switch between night and infrared vision, as well as one that helps you locate specific hotspots. He can also shimmy along walls, zoom down ziplines and perform a few special takedown maneuvers. Again, the biggest hurdle here is simply adapting to the control scheme, something that is incredibly easy to do by the end of the first mission.

As with Dark Mirror, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow comes highly recommended for PSP owners. Everything has been improved, making a great experience even better.