Seeing that the PSP is still relatively new, the handheld hasn’t seen much hockey love but at least Gretzky NHL had us hockey fans covered with a decent portable hockey game featuring The Great One. This year, though 989 Sports brings us a new addition with Gretzky NHL 06. Once again it’s great to have a hockey game you can carry around with you and with some new additions this is a game you’ll want to take with you on long trips or whenever you need some hockey in your life.

The first time around I wasn’t blown away by Gretzky NHL and while it wasn’t a bad game at all (far from it, really) I felt its flaws were too noticeable to make this one a perfect game of hockey. Yet as a fan of the sport I couldn’t help but buy it and hoped that the franchise would return with improvements. Gretzky NHL 06 has improved but not to the extent to make a hockey fanatic or nitpicky sports gamer think this is the great hockey game that comes close to rivaling what EA Sports and 2K Sports are bringing to the consoles. It is, however, a solid hockey game and one you won’t mind owning if only for the richer Season mode as well as 3 on 3 Countdown and the new Wayne vs. Wayne mode.

The Season mode is pretty deep this year and it succeeds in bringing gamers the usual assortment of goodies that come with it. You can draft players thanks to the Fantasy Draft feature, choose to play all 82 games or 29 but also keep track of your team, player and line chemistry. Your team’s morale and overall chemistry changes within a season. Some players will feel the poor plays of their teammates are dragging the team down and will abandon you when its draft season. In short, it’s a nice improvement from the first game.

There’s also 3 on 3 Countdown, which is a great 3-on-3 game of hockey with no time limit and no offside so it’s a raw game of hockey that is fun to play when you don’t want to bother with the NHL rules. New to the series is Wayne vs. Wayne, a game mode that incorporates Wayne Gretzky himself in the game (it’s great to see him back on the ice even if it’s in a video game). The game is played using the usual five-on-five player hockey with an icon on the screen called “99 Time.” Anytime you crosscheck a player or attempt to score a goal, points add to the 99 Time but it can also be subtracted. When your 99 Time reaches the magic number of 99 (the number has a significance since 99 was Gretzky’s jersey number), the Great One himself becomes a player on your team so you’ll be able to play him for a short time. The downside is that the opposing team also accumulates 99 Time and they too can have Gretzky on their team.

Control-wise the game doesn’t feel much different from the first game and the Shot Aim is back, allowing for a manual aim (positioning the shot target before shooting) or auto aim (shots are auto-targeted). Passing is still as good as ever and you can up the aggression level. The problem, though, is that there are still some slowdown issues that haven’t been worked out and the default controls are a pain. The analog stick on the PSP just doesn’t cut it in this game. Fortunately you can change the controller layout to use the D-pad to skate and the analog stick for strategy. The AI is also occasionally inconsistent during some games. One minute your computer-controlled teammates are making good power plays and the next they seem to be giving the puck away with boneheaded plays. This would have been a huge problem but it doesn’t happen often enough to make the game unbearable.

Once again there’s online play and it's pretty good, although I hadn’t encountered many players as of the writing of this review. Yet like the first Gretzky NHL I can come to expect many more and, of course, the game can be played wirelessly with other PSP owners. Multiplayer is a great way to remedy the AI problems.

As for the game’s graphics, the players look nicely detailed and are sharper than the last Gretzky PSP game. The players move wonderfully on the ice and you’ll spot favorites right away. While the crowds look like badly rendered 2D blotches, the arenas don’t look so nice but at least the game has that great televised feel that makes each game pretty unique.

Last year’s game lacked color and play-by-play commentary and you couldn’t help but miss it. Thankfully that’s not the case here and it’s handled well enough despite some really repetitive comments.  The on-ice sounds are good, although you won’t hear the puck smack the wall or hit the post like in most games. That’s Ok, though, seeing as the game has a great telecast feel thanks to national anthems and crowds cheering.

Gretzky NHL 06 has its share of problems but once you get past them you’ll find that this is a more-than-decent portable hockey game worth owning if you’re a fan. It’s improvements over last year's game makes up for a few of the things it lacked but thanks to this year’s offering this is one hockey franchise we’ll definitely keep our eyes on.

Gameplay: 7.0
Despite the occasionally erratic opponent AI and the small framerate stutters here and there, this is still a solid game of hockey. The game modes are decent enough with 3 on 3 Countdown being one of the most enjoyable. You’ll want to change the default controls, though, because the analog stick is better off used to activate a strategy.

Graphics: 8.0
This is actually a pretty great looking game with wonderfully detailed characters, a great view of the action and decent animations. All the neat little details are there like players shaving the ice and coaches shaking their heads when a penalty is called. The crowds still look like cardboard cutouts, though.

Sound: 7.8
The two-man commentary team does a good job of calling the plays, although much of what you’ll hear can be a bit repetitive but for my money they’re still an excellent choice. There are arena sounds aplenty here, although I do miss the sounds of the puck smacking the post.

Difficulty: Medium
Even in the easiest setting your opponent will crush your offense and skate circles around your defense and that’s great for seasoned hockey gamers but kind of frustrating for those just looking for some arcade-style hockey action.

Concept: 7.5
There are loads of unlockable goodies such as alternate uniforms, players (such as different versions of Gretzky or the neat RoboEnforcer) as well as gameplay features such as no skater fatigue. Gretzky Challenge adds some interesting challenges to complete and there’s online play. Wayne vs. Wayne is my new favorite mode this year.

Multiplayer: 8.0
While I wasn’t able to test out the wireless multiplayer, I got a chance to play the game online with a small handful of other players (although I had to wait a long while for them to show up). The result is a smooth game that beats the single-player game in almost every way.

Overall: 7.2
I like Gretzky NHL 06 for a lot of reasons that supersede its most glaring glitches and inconsistencies. It isn’t a perfect hockey game but it is a better one than last year’s game and there’s enough here to keep any hockey fan satisfied.