Developer: Sonic Team | Publisher: SEGA | Released: 21st February 2008 | Price: $39.90 (~£20.18) | Bought at: Play-Asia.com

Sega have been re-releasing and enhancing their old games for years, but tragically they've rarely done them any justice. Whether it has been the wrong budget, the wrong approach, or even the wrong games. Nights into Dreams for the Playstation 2 is as good an effort as can realistically be expected. All it truly lacks is a worldwide release.

Nights was originally released in 1996, bundled with a crude but inventive analogue controller (if not in its analogue stick, then in its triggers which survive in the best controllers to this day). For all its critical acclaim and popularity, ultimately it was on the console nobody had and so vast numbers of people have never played it. As a backward looking bandwagon jumper, I've only been a fan for a couple of years after buying an old Saturn on one of my old tat binges. When NiGHTS came out I was 7, living in Paris, and had never even seen a Playstation, let alone a Saturn. This release couldn't come at a better time, what with the Sonic Team having just shat all over our hopes with the repellent Wii sequel.

So what does it do that a cheap Saturn and the original disc don't? Aside from being on a machine that's more likely to already reside under your telly, it pretty much just cleans everything up. It doesn't attempt to expand on the original at all, which is probably a good thing. What you have here is without question a definitive version of the game. Full resolution, progressive scan, rock solid 60 frames, texture filtering, a better draw distance without going overboard, and the option (which you won't refuse) of replacing many of the the dated models and textures with respectfully created new ones.

Christmas Nights, the demo disc with unique clock features and festive graphics, is unlocked upon achieving A-ranks in all stages (which is a challenging but realistic feat), and an extensive image gallery and FMV theatre round things off.

There are two inexplicable absences: there is no proper Music equivalent of the gallery and theatre, and the little 2 player mode has been removed. Neither of these are a great loss, the music is easily obtained elsewhere and the 2 player mode was a throwaway afterthought, but it is a bit of a shame nonetheless.

The game itself plays flawlessly and looks fantastic. The PS2's analogue stick is perfect for the job. It doesn't have the incremental notches that Nintendo sticks have, allowing more graceful flight. You could be extremely picky and say that some of the new textures could be a tad brighter, and the loading before each stage is actually a little longer, but these criticisms simply do not matter in perspective. It's just too good a game for me to care.

If you've not played Nights, buy this game. If you loved Nights on the Saturn, buy this game. If Nights on the Wii left you with a sour taste in your mouth, buy this game. There is no language barrier, all the menus are in English and there is no narrative to follow.

So many important games are fading into obscurity. This is the blueprint for immortalising a classic game. You will always be able to find a PS2, you will always be able to play Nights. Don't waste this opportunity.