There is a moment in the first game of this trilogy where you're battling it out against space pirates, when the pirate captain suddenly announces over the planet's intercom system: "There will be a discount on all goods starting with the letter 'Harrr'."

It's these jewels of humour, mixed with easily accessible and fun gameplay, that makes the 'Ratchet & Clank' games such a joy and arguably one of the most relaxed moments you'll spend on your couch with a gamepad in hand.

With 'A Crack in Time', the series comes to a close ? and rightfully so, because although it's still a lot of fun to play, developers Insomniac have pretty much pushed their luck as far as it would go with an ageing recipe and engine.

In this third and final title, Insomniac doesn't really try to do anything different from what had worked before. Fortunately for them, it all still works, but the cracks are beginning to show up badly.

First and foremost in your face is the graphical engine, which didn't look all that spectacular on the PS3 when it was first launched, but is now just beginning to look bland. Don't get me wrong, there's still loads of pretty, but for the series to continue being relevant, a seriously better looking game is but one of the things that will need to be rebuilt as dusting it off and rinsing it is no longer enough.

Then there's the gameplay ? again, with 'Tools of Destruction' (the first title), it was a jolly good show bashing apart crates for bits of bolts (the currency in the game), and the highly creative weapons were a blast (excuse the pun) to use.

But two games later it's all a bit over-cooked.

The jokes are also still there and the characters as rounded and interesting as ever before, but things just seem a little forced now. Not even the introduction of time-based puzzles is enough to keep your interest for too long.

At this point I think it's crucial to point out that 'A Crack in Time' is by no means a bad game ? far from it. You can waste a lot more money and have a lot less fun on numerous other titles on the PS3. It's just that the 'Ratchet & Clank' series is in serious need of a proper facelift.

So by all means, if you have the money lying around and feel like having a great time wielding awesome weapons (the burp gun is my personal favourite), 'A Crack in Time' is still a good gag. Just don't expect an exponential improvement on the previous two titles.

If you can forgive Insomniac for that, you're going to have lots of fun.

8.2/10

Buy this game: PS3