Anything Mario can do, Sonic will at the very least have a crack at. From platforming to tennis to racing, this has been the rule for many a year. And yet that plumber fellow has starred in no less than six critically-acclaimed RPGs, and ‘hog-boy has been uncharacteristically lazy about the whole concept. Until now.

In bringing its speedy hero to the most unspeedy of genres, Sega has sensibly farmed out the work to RPG maestros Bioware (the team behind Mass Effect and the Knights of the Old Republic titles). Bioware claims to be hardcore Sonic fans and blimey, its not kidding. Chronicles is catnip for the diehards, with old games, cartoons and comics all referenced in various ways (even Blighty's own Sonic the Comic gets a nod). If, like your humble writer, you've been following the adventures of this lippy little speedster for longer than you probably should have, I defy you to play this without a big grin splattered all over your face.

We'd also like to take a moment to applaud the scriptwriters. Sonic is frequently saddled with a plot that's either too simple or trying too hard to be all grown-up. Bioware, though, has got the tone spot-on and also found the time to gift a few characters with genuinely laugh-out-loud lines. (Rogue robot Omega even invokes the spirit of his mightiness Bender B. Rodriguez at one point.) Sadly, Bioware's famed "play it your way" approach to characterisation obviously had to be reined in when dealing with a company's mascot, but you are frequently given the opportunity to make Sonic act like a sarcastic jerk purely for the pleasure of acting like a sarcastic jerk, which is delightful.