Way back when next-gen graphics meant more than three colours on screen at any one time, Pitfall made its debut, and it could be said that the platformers we know today were born out of the running/swinging/jumping model it created.

Things were different then. Pitfall Harry, in his halcyon heyday of blocky bliss, was cool. Blocky animation used to be acceptable, but the poorly rendered cutscenes that introduce the latest instalment of the Pitfall series in this day and age are definitely not.

A plane crash in Peru leaves our intrepid explorer tasked with rescuing the remainder of the passengers, saving a local tribe and thwarting arch-enemy Jonathon St Claire, through a series of puzzle-solving and item-utilising levels.

The core gameplay of The Lost Expedition remains true to the Pitfall precedent - running, jumping, swinging on vines, jumping some more, bashing enemies and finally a bit more jumping. There's no real variation throughout the game, the only distraction is courtesy of an exciting ice climb and an amusing 60 seconds where Harry becomes a monkey, but why not more of this?

Along his travels, Harry encounters an assortment of different characters, though their supposedly humorous conversations miss the mark by a considerable distance. However, these benevolent beings more often than not reward you with a new skill or item, which then allows you to play through all the inaccessible areas of regions you've already worked through. There's a good balance between replayability and repetition, but although the map displays multiple paths branching off each level, the pre-determined order in which you collect items means this is still a pretty linear experience.

The well-animated Harry is confined by rudimentary platforming moves at the start of the game, and although larger later levels mean Harry gets a bit more courageous in his exploits, unfortunately the thought put into the sumptuous scenery hasn't been conveyed into intelligent and expansive level design. The graphics (bright and garish as they are) aren't too bad, and the torchlight effect in underground caverns looks especially atmospheric.

Pity, then, that the dodgy camera ruins the game. Controlled via the triggers (why not the far simpler Right thumbstick?), the camera will often get stuck or be overly sensitive to move around, and when hasty precision jumping is called for, this becomes infuriating. In a time when much better nostalgic updates of classic platformers are available (Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time), Pitfall: The Lost Expedition sits in a leap-fest limbo; too stale to really excite older fans of the original, and too bland to really introduce new gamers to the series, leaving Harry just (pit)falling short.

1. Involving puzzles
2. Good replayability of levels

1. Awful, over-sensitive camera!
2. Cringing dialogue
3. Terrible-looking cutscenes

Power
Not a lot happening on screen at any one time. All the characters are well animated, though.

Style
Bright and brash environments. The supposedly hilarious dialogue is, ironically, so bad it's funny.

Immersion
Beginners can get straight in, though platforming purists may find it a bit too rudimentary.

Lifespan
Not a huge game, but the inclusion of loads of hidden collectables make this go that bit further.

Summary
A long time in development, the fruits of a lengthy labour should have been better than this run-of-the-mill platformer.