The Dungeon Siege games on the PC have developed quite a following - especially those gamers who have had a soft spot in their hearts for hack-and-slash role-playing game like the classic Diablo. Yet when it comes to the Sony PSP, the best we could get are the Untold Legends games that aren’t incredibly bad but they certainly could have been better. Oh but there’s hope and it comes in the form of Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony, a PSP game that finally gets portable hack-and-slash right.

There isn’t much to the story, although, to be fair, Dungeon Siege fans aren’t hooked in by the game’s plot. The story revolves around your chosen character that sets out on a journey not recognized by the famous Council of Three. The world of Aranna, it seems, is being pulled into a war by a mysterious evil threat that is somehow tied to the disappearance of the Agallan race thousands of years ago. Yet your journey is cut short as your ship is destroyed in a violent storm and you suddenly find yourself stranded on unfamiliar and dangerous territory. All you have is your wits, your combat skills or magic and your determination to see this quest to the very end.

You start the game by picking from three characters or importing your Dungeon Siege 2: Broken World avatar straight out of the PC. The characters available are actually good and have their own set of abilities that work for them. There’s Allistar the Mage who possesses two fire attacks, Serin the Elven Shadow Stalker who can teleport and wield two weapons and Mogrim the Half-Giant Warlord who has a strong attack and can heal on his own. From there you can pick from two different followers for each character. Serin, for example, has the choice of the Hooded Archer (who is great at slinging arrows with his trusty bow) or War Hawk (a hawk who can swoop down fast to take out enemies from above). Each follower makes up for a character’s weakness so if you’re worried that a brute like Mogrim can’t compete against powerful magic users then his magically inclined follower Shaelyn, an elf with powerful magic, will aid him.

The game’s world is separated in sections you can travel to from a 3D map and while there’s a lot of ground to cover and plenty of areas to explore, this damages the game a little since it means that there are several load times, many of which are quite lengthy. Still, even with the frequent load times, the many areas are actually fun to explore. Each town or locale leads to quests, whether you’re following the main quest or accepting side quests from characters you encounter throughout the game. For the most part, most quests related to the story aren’t bad at all but when it comes to the side quests most of them seem to have you doing the same thing over and over again. Some quests have you looking for some lost soul or have you searching for X item you have to collect and bring back to the person who offered the quest. After awhile, these fetch quests will seem more like a chore than a pleasant diversion.

One of the many ways to collect some sparkling loot is by defeating enemies, which takes us to the game’s combat. It’s pure hack-and-slash action when it comes to the combat and it’s stuff we’ve seen before but the game pulls it off well. Aside from bringing a sword, axe or any other blade down on an enemy, the specialty attacks add some variety. Combat, of course, also means that you can level up different aspects of your character’s abilities like most RPGs. The cool part is that you can also upgrade your follower’s skills and attributes as well. Leveling up also means you can unlock new abilities you can use in battle and you’ll need it since the enemies you’ll face will get progressively harder to defeat (especially those magic users). Really, you’ll be thankful for having a follower and you’ll be even more thankful since the game does allow you to play through the single-player mode with a friend via Ad Hoc connectivity.

Control-wise, the game feels great whether you’re setting an enemy on fire thanks to a magical spell or ripping into a beast with your broadsword. There isn’t a moment in the game where you will be frustrated by the lack of a second analog stick or wish for better camera control. The game follows the action perfectly, although there are times during combat when the game does suffer from some framerate issues. Still, the good does overshadow the bad in this game and the sheer amount of items you can purchase and use do give you an advantage during battles so the main quests won’t seem so incredibly hard.

The game’s graphics are impressive and are nicely detailed. The environments, for instance, really stand out and are incredibly detailed. It’s just great to see towns with swinging sign posts and the dancing flame from a lit torch light the path to an inn. The characters are also nicely detailed, although on the PSP widescreen things are tinier. You can, however, tell when your character puts a hood over their head or notice armor changes. As for the visual effects, the magic spells cast in the game look great and they do occasionally light up your PSP screen.

As for the game’s sound, there’s some voice acting in the game mixed in with text dialogue but for the most part the voice acting is good and it comes out clear through the PSP speakers. The game isn’t always serious, as you’ll hear when you encounter a pair of bickering old men and when it comes to the monster sounds they’re never recycled so no two monsters sound alike. The real treat comes from the game’s score, which epic in that fantasy film sort of way. Really, the great soundtrack does make up for the Ok sound effects.

Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony is far from perfect but it is, by far, one of the most enjoyable hack-and-slash adventures fit for your PSP. Fans of this genre and the series will definitely like the game’s world and action that seldom feels repetitive and with a lot to do this game makes the perfect travel companion. While the quests could have used more variety, the tons of secrets to uncover and areas to explore will keep you more than busy. This is a must have for fans of the series or gamers looking for a good hack-and-slash for their PSP.

Gameplay: 8.2
The swordplay might not be any different from what we’ve already experience on our PSP but it’s handled well in this game. While Throne of Agony doesn’t stray from its PC roots, it’s fun exploring a world with many characters, enemies and secrets on a handheld platform. Even the game’s RPG elements are better than the Untold Legends series.

Graphics: 8.0
You’ll wish the camera zoomed in a little more since the detailed environments and characters really stand out beautifully. Even the dungeons look pretty good and the flashy visual effects will not fail to impress.

Sound: 8.0
The voice acting is actually pretty good and the sound effects are just as detailed as the visuals. There’s a running score that would fit right at home with an epic fantasy film.

Difficulty: Medium
Some enemies will certainly put up a fight and there are moments in the game where you will be glad you have a follower whose skills you can upgrade as well. The quests are actually challenging enough to put you through a lot of trouble.

Concept: 8.5
The characters aren’t customizable enough at least you can pick your followers. There’s a lot of ground to cover in the game’s world and plenty of things to do aside from exploring dungeons. Wireless co-op allows you to play the single-player mode with a friend.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Tackling on the single-player mode with a friend through Ad Hoc mode means you can take on the story campaign with a friend who can join in at any point in the game. The co-op works beautifully and without any lag so you might just want to consider playing with a friend.

Overall: 8.5
Dungeon Siege fans who have been dreaming about a portable game in the series will find a lot to love about Throne of Agony. It’s a purely hack-and-slash affair with all the right elements that make this game an enjoyable experience for fans of the genre. While some fetch quests are a little dull side, it’s hard to ignore the game’s originality and fun hack-and-slash action.