Introduction:The world of Neopia is in trouble and Sony is calling out for gamers of all ages. Neopets: The Wand of Wishing is a nice little action RPG that is a great introduction for role-playing newcomers. Neopets: The Wand of Wishing is generic, but at least its filled full of cuteness.

The Game:In a nicely rendered opening scene we get the story behind this tragic Petpet Adventure. After a tango villain Werhond, a Gypsy Woman and her Petpet, a magical wand, the wand of wishing falls into a portal and disappears. You, playing the Gypsy's Petpet jumps into the portal and has to find the wand before the villain. The fate of Neopia rests in your hands and a moderate adventure ahead.

Uh... the Cute Petpets
When you begin the game you can pick your on of four Petpets. Each petpet are all cute and sickly cuddly. If you're not familiar with the Neopets then a Doglefox, Mazzew, Krawk and Meowclops won't mean a damn thing. For the record they are the four animal types you can choose from. Each character is balanced to have an advantage over the other and should be picked according to your playing style.

Magic, Action... Combat
Neopets: The Wand of Wishing is an action RPG so all the combat is in real time which broadens the appeal. The focus is divided between melee combat as well as magic. The magic is governed over the elements (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water) and the sun (Light and Dark). Like any RPG you will have to keep a close eye on your spell points and hit points when entering into combat. Don't worry about having a strategy of attack when dealing with the normal enemies, they come can be easy wiped out by some hack n' slash action. The boss battles will need some extra effort, but it's as easy as picking the opposite power as the boss and go on the full nines attack.

More Pets, More Exploring
Since Neopets is an RPG there is a fair amount of exploring that you'll need to do. Talking to everyone around is an essential way to earn new quests which can lead to exciting treasures. Also, some characters have the ability to upgrade your characters skills, so always be on the look out for trainers. Your Petpet stars out as a Page (lvl 0) and can work there way up to becoming a Legend (lvl 5).

You also have the chance to befriend more Petpets as you travel along in your adventure. When you run across them you will have to lure them in with food, the secret is learning what food they like. Once you snag the little critters, by making them so bloated they can't move they will help you out in a number of different ways from boosting skills or giving you special abilities. These little Petpets can be freed, but once gone they don't return.

Getting around is simple and the top down perspective works nicely in Neopets. They have a number of different worlds based around the magic system. The separation of design for these levels are good and help keep the gamer interested. Of course it's nothing an experienced RPG gamer has seen before, but as I tested this game with some new fans they liked the diversity.

Welcome to the Battledome!
Surprisingly Neopets: Wand of Wishing has included a nice little multiplayer feature called the Battledome which can be used to battle the computer or friend using the PSP Ad-Hoc mode. New battle arenas can be unlocked and it's a good area to earn more tokens as well as building up your character. The arena works on a token system, a certain amount of tokens to enter a fight, and then a token for the winner. The tokens are named with catchy titles, but each have an increasing value, rainbow and diamond being the most valuable. The Battledome should be considered as a bonus. Most RPGs don't have extra features like this vs. mode, but it's nice to see it included.

Lowdown:Petpet Adventures is a cute game and is made to appeal to the fans and the younger gaming crowd. Newly interested adventures might also want to take a look into Neopets because it can be a fun ride. Besides these core target audience, normal gamers might find the whole premise and gameplay a little too drab and will need something more mature. Petpet fans Neopets: The Wand Of Wishing is worth a look.

Gameplay: 7, Graphics/Sound: 6.5, Innovation: 5, Mojo: 7. Final: 7 / 10