Fox, Slippy and the gang finally make it over to Europe as the Star Fox team makes a DS debut...

Since Star Fox first burst onto the scene in 'SuperFX' glory, the series has had something of a chequered past: a late cancellation of the SNES sequel had fans waiting four long years for the series to return with the excellent Nintendo64 title, Lylat Wars (or Star Fox 64); still under the watch of Nintendo, Rare successfully took Fox McCloud into other genres with the GameCube release of Star Fox Adventures; whilst the woeful NAMCO effort needs little recollection.

Five months after first making an appearance in Japan and North America, Star Fox Command finally arrives in Europe with the hope of easing the anxiety left by NAMCO's assault on the series. Enlisting the support of Q Games is a good start for the franchise that has never truly had a home. Before establishing the Japanese studio, co-founder, Dylan Cuthbert was principally involved with the original Star Fox and its aborted sequel whilst at Argonaut (his list also includes Ape Escape at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. during a stint in between).

Following the events of Star Fox Assault, the DS title finds the Star Fox team disbanded as the threat posed by Andross passes with his demise. Peppy has replaced his grandfather as General of the Cornerian Army; Slippy finds amphibian love on a distant planet; Falco drifts through the galaxy as a rogue mercenary; whilst new recruit, co-star of Star Fox Adventures and love interest to Fox, Krystal, has been forced to leave because of McCloud's increasing concerns over her safety. Declared a forbidden zone and put under the watch of the Cornerian Army since the defeat of Andross, the hostile planet of Venom is once again the source of trouble when a mysterious army rises from its toxic seas. Controlled by a leader known as Anglar, the unexpected attack once again throws the Lylat system into crisis as Fox prepares to combat the threat on his own.

Dedicated Star Fox fans will appreciate that many of the ideas first mentioned in the aborted SNES sequel have been recycled for Star Fox Command. Splitting the game up into phases ('Flight Path', 'Movement' and 'Combat'), each mission begins with a tactical map displaying Fox' Arwing, along with the Great Fox mothership, enemy bases and units. Under a strict number of turns, Fox (and the assortment of characters that join his team) has to collect a specific number of enemy cores by destroying enemy units, while ensuring the Great Fox is defended from a single attack. The setup often ensures a tense balance between attack and defense, whilst the limited number of turns helps to keep a fast pace to the missions. The end of each turn occurs once each character has moved as far as fuel permits, encountered an opponent, or selecting the end of the turn. If the number of turns is reduced to zero; an enemy unit or missile attacks the Great Fox or you simply run out of lives, it's Game Over, back to the main menu with the, sometimes, arduous decision of starting over again.

When Fox or another team member encounters an opponent on the map, the more familiar shooter aspects of the series become apparent. Earning the enemy cores that ultimately win the mission requires a certain number of specific opponents destroyed within a tight time limit. Balancing the need to attack is the constant necessity to defend the Great Fox, ensuring an enemy hidden by the fog doesn't slip through and chasing after missiles that spell instant doom. Much of the hook behind Star Fox Command stems from the art of juggling these, particular when the difficulty begins to increase after running through the first occasion.

Employing the arena style of Star Fox Assault, Star Fox Command generally succeeds at maintaining the classic shooter gameplay from the SNES original and N64 sequel. A smooth control method utilises the stylus to effortlessly move, boost, brake, roll and perform the loop-the-loops and corkscrews that have become synonymous with Star Fox games.

Although fine and functional, there's little about the shooting sections that stand out as remarkable. Instead the game relies upon the cohesion between the phases to create the enticement; something that it just about manages to accomplish. An interesting Time dynamic balances the decision to engage as many enemy units as possible per turn, with a strict time limit that carries across to each battle that has been initiated. With multiple team members it's possible to have a sequence of battles stacked in the Battle Panel at the end of each turn. The choice comes from limiting the number of battles that take place at once, but at the cost of taking another turn in the Map Phase. A skilled player can actually gain time during the actual combat stages, picking up bonuses from the customary Item Rings, or using the trademark Roll technique to deflect enemy shots and gain a small time bonus - again, it's a question of going straight for the allocated target or trying to build up enough time for the remaining battles.

Rekindling the 'branching' structure that's characteristic of the series, the single-player story allows you to make choices in between missions that affect the flow of the game and ultimately dictate the nine alternative end sequences. Designed to keep you coming back for more, these choices are locked off initially and only become available upon your second run through; something that you'll want to do, as the game changes considerably based around your choices. Numerous characters from the Star Fox universe make an appearance throughout Command, many of which are playable throughout the various paths offered throughout the game. Fans of the series will appreciate discovering what has happened to characters such as Pigma Dengar, Oikonny, Katt and the debut of Andross' grandson, Dash Bowman, along with the continuing storyline of Fox, Krystal, Slippy, Falco and Peppy.

Having grasped the basics you'll likely run through the single-player storyline in no time at all; however, the game's various paths are distinctly different enough to warrant playing through the game repeatedly. Away from the single-player mode, Star Fox Command is one of the few titles to support the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing online play from a wireless connection. Up to four players can compete online or up to six players in local Wi-Fi play, in ranked 'Battle Royale' tournaments or 'Free Battle' to play against your friends. Using the Friend code system that is prevalent throughout Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection titles, Star Fox Command easily allows you to play against random opponents as well. Enjoyable and a natural feature to the game, Star Fox Command won't have you playing multiplayer for months on end, but it does provide an entertaining five minute diversion every now and then.