The original de Blob was a true piece of gaming art which was probably the most original game of 2008 as this strange blob attempted to colourise his world from his fascist oppressors. Unfortunately this release was a Wii exclusive, hence the larger gaming community missing out on the fun but thankfully, Blue Tongue has released the sequel as a multiple platform release which means you're all invited!

So here we are again as our famous piece of goo returns and best of all, Australian developers Blue Tongue have added a few new twists to the franchise in this thoroughly entertaining colourful sequel that is available on Wii, PS3 and XBox 360 . This review will focus on the PS3 version but in essence, however all the versions are essentially the same, although the high definition graphics of the higher end consoles do look pretty nifty.

The story of de Blob 2 revolves around favourite piece of goo again whose job in once again to restore colour to Prisma City and it seems that his old villain, Comrade Black is up to his old tricks as the city goes from colour to black and white. Unfortunately the denizens of this city are also turned into mindless drones as the player restores colour, frees the prisoners and attempts to remove this hideous propaganda by Comrade Black. There is even a small levelling system in the game that awards you light bulbs for our well you perform and these can then be used to upgrade Blob, especially how he handles paint.

In terms of gameplay, de Blob 2 could be best described as a puzzle arcade game which requires the player to control a blob like creature (as mentioned) who rolls around this Totalitarian city turning the black and white world of Comrade Black to colour. The idea is to spread your colour (via paint) into this 3D world that also uses music to bring your objects to life. Best of all, each of the colours have some different music that makes it fun to mix and match the paints for the different music effects.

Once you have colourised your neighbourhood, your job as de Blob is done but there is some skill involved as your colourise this world. From painting objects a specific colour or mixing colours together to form a totally unique colour, the gameplay may sound a little simplistic but there is a great deal of fun involved which is only limited by your imagination. And to throw a spanner into the works, there are enemies as well. Thankfully as you progress, the developers ensure that the gameplay doesn't become too repetitive as there is always something different and unique to do as you progress, whether through power-ups or some new clever puzzle.

The control system of de Blob 2 on the PS3 is almost identical to the original game on the Wii, thanks to the PlayStation Move controller. Whether your running (or rolling) around, bouncing around or tagging objects in various colours, the only issue I had with the control system is that at times, the auto-targeting seemed a little too sensitive. Once you have figured out the sensitivity of the controls, it eventually becomes second nature. Also, every now and then, the camera angles does provide a slight annoyance. The game can be played with the standard PS3 controller which I did find a little more enjoyable, albeit a little less accurate than the Move.

There is a multiplayer mode for de Blob 2 that features a Super Mario type co-op mode that gives the second player control to Pinky, de Blob's little sidekick. Co-op is fun with a second player but this element is obviously designed for the younger gamers because it's definitely less intrusive than the single-player mode that does have a few challenging moments in it.

Graphically, de Blob 2 is like a Saturday morning cartoon series and although the characters are quite simplistic, they are filled with animated and "colourful" life. There's some nice lighting used in the game but the highlights are the psychedelic colours that really shine and look like they explode out of the screen. It's quite a decent looking game on a FULL HD TV. The musical score is fun as are the strange blob like sound effects and paint noises which nicely adds to the entire gaming experience.

In the end, de Blob 2 is a laid back arcade game that offers good gaming for both younger and older players. It's good to see more developers use the PlayStation Move control, although for an old gaming dinosaur like myself, you still cannot beat the original PS3 controller. Even so, de Blob 2 offers some fun arcade moments, not too challenging puzzles and a world that is definitely filled with colour. The only weird thing about the de Blob is the PG rating that has really got me confused, nonetheless, I do suggest you check out this quite entertaining game!!