The biggest fan of The Secret Saturdays in my house is six years old, and loves nothing more than taking marker to paper and drawing armies of cryptids, the fantastic beasts from the show that Zak Saturday helps his parents protect from prying eyes and scheming bad guys like V.V. Argost. We think The Secret Saturdays is a sleeper hit, a real gem that displays imagination, a cool tie-in to real-life (if you can call them that) cryptids like Bigfoot, and a great family dynamic. Observant parents will see the various family types displayed here, including the too-cool-for-school Doyle, all-grown-up Zak, and his progressive (for television at least) racially-integrated family. You get a good dose of all this during the game, The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun. Generally, you'll see a side-scrolling Platformer, but there are plenty of story-driven segments using assets from the game and cut-scenes done in a simple, cel-shaded style that appears similar to the show's style.

Apart from the main game, kids will love the so-called Cryptipedia included here, that shows featured cryptids in all their weird glory. The level of detail included in the Cryptipedia is determined by how thoroughly you scan creatures during the game; one or two scans will still leave the record for a specific cryptid incomplete, providing some incentive to replay levels. We noticed some odd skipping during the in-game dialogue, as if a button had been pressed that shortened the line a character was trying to deliver. Voice acting and delivery is good, and there are lots of interludes that break up the frenetic action of The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun. Even though the overall presentation of Beasts of the 5th Sun feels slammed together quickly and doesn't represent nearly enough of the PSP's power, the important elements are here. Plus, you'll forgive a lot on the front end once you get engaged in the gameplay.

There are characters and shows that seem a natural fit for gaming, even when not as obviously derivative as properties like Bakugan or Yu-Gi-Oh. When the source material is a game or bouncy battling character, doing a game conversion isn't that difficult. The Secret Saturdays show borrows more than a little from classic Saturday-morning shows (the name is a giveaway there...) us thirtysomethings used to watch in our youth, but introduces several updates. The real family dynamic is one thing that stands out about the show, and Beasts of the 5th Sun captures this perfectly by allowing you real playtime in the shoes of each character. Not surprising, considering the demographic for the show and game, Zak is the default character. His ability is another thing that sets The Secret Saturdays and Beasts of the 5th Sun apart from other cookie-cutter properties. Imagine Aqua-Man's power to communicate with animals, then imagine something more along the lines of a shapeshifter, and you've got a pretty good approximation of how Zak Saturday gets the job done. He uses his abilities to communicate with and control cryptids in the game. In this way the cryptids become more than a sideshow, whether playing a role in solving puzzles or in fighting battles.

The best thing about how cryptids work in the game is that there's real variety. Sometimes Zak will use his claw weapon to grab a cryptid and take a ride; much of the engaging platforming action plays off this ability. At other times, Zak will scan the cryptid to prompt some action. In the case of dangerous cryptids, scanning may leave them stunned or cause them to trigger some event that helps you move through the level. Scanning will also uncover secrets, and is the method for tagging 10 so-called Beasts of Bowness (get it? yuck, yuck...) or special relics you can unlock by finding them hidden in a level. Scan the right cryptid and you'll suddenly control the beast itself. This style of play becomes a foil for solving lots of puzzles, an amount that far exceeds what most Platformers offer. If we had to compare the feeling we got from The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun, we'd point to the recent Tomb Raider games and especially their elaborate set pieces. Beasts of the 5th Sun doesn't have the same depth or complexity in its puzzles, but there is the same combination of brain-benders and twitchy platforming we loved from Lara's new ventures. Especially factoring in the special powers of the cryptids, you'll have a blast figuring out the right combination of moves required to get through each level.

The do-or-die element of The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun is definitely here. At first, we felt there was an unreasonable level of difficulty for a game aimed at younger gamers, and we're still not sure we buy into the notion that kids will breeze through these challenges. Understand that when we say there are seriously difficult segments in this game, we're talking from the perspective gained by beating both the recent Tomb Raider titles, seeing the credits roll on God of War, and mastering various other platforming titles on PSP and beyond. No kidding, Beasts of the 5th Sun is that hard. Not for the faint of heart, you'll at least have a fighting chance since the game introduces each new mechanic gingerly and gives you several levels to gain mastery. The measure of difficulty can be summed up in comparing the way Ms. Croft and Mr. Saturday each use the grappling hook. Lara always has a point of attachment that is sometimes hard to find initially, but placed in such a way that you can't swing too far off target. Beasts of the 5th Sun gives Zak Saturday the ability to grapple almost any ceiling surface, helpful when you need to grapple-walk your way across several long expanses of ceiling. Grabbing the bottom of floating platforms is intense, especially when those same platforms are crawling with enemies that detach your grapple if you linger too long. Using the cryptids to solve puzzles or battle isn't the most difficult thing to do, especially because it's rare to have more than one cryptid on-screen at once. Twitch reflexes are a must to get very far in The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun, but for kids that have their thumbs wired for speed and want to play something with a higher cool factor, Beasts of the 5th Sun is worth the effort when you unlock its secrets and build your Cryptipedia.

The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun uses the shoulder button intelligently, for scanning cryptids or hidden objects in each level. You won't fully appreciate this button placement until you reach later levels where scanning has to be juggled with running, jumping, and attacking. The attacking and grapple controls are the same, at least for Zak. When you switch to other characters, as in the members of Zak's family, you'll find their attack controls identical. Strong and weak attacks on different buttons, combined with jumping attacks, makes for interesting battle sequences but nothing as challenging as the platforming. Where the battles get especially interesting are the moments where you can tag-team enemies and even call in cryptids to battle for you. Ironically, some of the cryptids aren't any more powerful than your family's fighters, but all the cryptids have interesting special powers. Beasts of the 5th Sun offers reasonably intuitive controls, but doesn't do much to lead you through the challenges in each level. Again, not for the faint of heart.

Fans of The Secret Saturdays show will be really pleased with how the show's concepts, characters, and cryptids made the transition to electronic gaming. We were impressed with how well the ideas embedded in the show are contained in this game, and the body-swap trick helps alleviate any boredom or frustration that tends to set in with formulaic Platformers. Puzzle combinations, twitch reflexes, and button-mashing Brawler dynamics combine to make something you'll enjoy immensely as a rental. If your kid likes to draw cryptids as much as mine, you might find this one on rotation for quite a while. For those of you pumping out licensed games: Make more like this, please.