As a refresher, Origins follows protagonist Travis Grady, a truck driver with a murky past. Of course, it wouldn't be Silent Hill if the lead didn't have one or two demons and - given the sudden flashbacks and static-concealed references on the CB radio during the intro - it looks like Travis might have more untapped psychosis than most. Incidentally, about that intro: it's an impressive opener, with the usual sky-high quality pre-rendered Silent Hill cinematics in tact, replete with some gorgeous scoring from series stalwart Akira Yamaoka. In fact, fans will be thrilled to note Origins has an absolute ton of Yamaoka's beautiful, ethereal compositions - not just his more-prevalent otherworldly bonks, bangs and industrial screeches.

This sucker-punch opening is actually indicative of the game as a whole. Climax told us that Konami's only real stipulation during development was that Origins matched the same triple-A standards expected of the series. By all accounts, Climax seems to have risen to the challenge, with everything from storyline to stunning graphics right up their with Konami's best, bonkers Japanese efforts. Graphically, Silent Hill's interiors and exteriors - alternate reality or otherwise - are rendered in exquisite detail, with the series' staple fog and shadow as gloriously oppressive as ever. This version even goes as far as incorporating real-time self-shadowing on all torch-lit objects, which is an impressive feat for PSP, whichever way you look at it.

Story-wise, we've got high hopes for Origins too - although clearly there are still massive questions begging to be answered after our initial couple of hours play time. As the name suggests, Origins visits Silent Hill prior to the PS1 game's events, introducing (or re-introducing, depending on your perspective) some of the series' most memorable characters. These include creepy little girl Alessa, her mother and - steady your beating heart, long-time fans - nurse Lisa Garland. However, if, like us, you find the Silent Hill mythology explored in parts 1 and 3 a bit hackneyed, Climax is also promising a return to the deeply unsettling abstract psychological horror of Silent Hill 2 in its exploration of Travis Grady.

For all its improvements on the fisticuffs front though, there's good news Silent Hill 4 detractors: Origins sees the series' much-missed puzzle elements make a return. Admittedly, there's nothing here quite as head-scratchingly contrived as Silent Hill 3's toughest puzzle setting, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in our book. For instance, your initial trek through Silent Hill's now overly-familiar hospital requires you to locate and reassemble the organs of a plastic cadaver to progress. Elsewhere, the later sanatorium level has you fumbling mercilessly with the pressure valves on an iron lung. There's even increased incentive to replay the game once you're through, with the introduction of 'accolades' - awarded and rewarded with unlockables as you meet unspecified criteria and experiment with different styles of play.