As with most games based off of movies, From Russia With Love follows the movie script in a truncated version and allows you to interact with the film at certain points. Between the interactive points of the game there are cut scenes from the movie redone with virtual characters. The developers have done a magnificent job of recreating Sean Connery, and bringing him into a virtual world to strut his stuff with the ladies.

Game play is fairly simple, you move about and shoot the bad guys. If you get close to them where your in melee range icons will appear over their heads for one of the four control buttons, if you can hit the button quick enough you do a special melee attack that takes them out quickly. When shooting guns at opponents you can hit the targeting button to select who you're going to be shooting at. Your ability to hit your opponents depends on your skill with that weapon and the properties of the weapon itself. You also have the “Bond Focus” where you go into something of a sniper mode and the target comes into clearer focus and you have a small targeting reticule that you can move across the target's body and select the exact point that you want to shoot. Head shots will take out most all of your opponents immediately. Or you can target his weapon and knock it out of his hands.

As you play through the various missions you will have a number of weapons that will be made available to you to use. The standard weapon is, of course, the Walther PPK, he wouldn’t be James Bond 007 with out it. Some of the other weapons include a SMG, AK47, Shotgun, .44 magnum, Sniper Rifle, AT Rifle, Grenades, a Laser Watch – Q branch special – and a Mini Gyrocopter.

Each weapon has its own unique effect on the enemy and some are more effective at oneshotting a bad guy than others. The AT rifle is especially good against foes wearing body armor. Each has differing reload times and available ammunition quantities.

The game itself uses a mission tree to move along the main story line. Each of the main missions, once completed, will open up the next mission in line, as well as a mini-game side mission. The mini-games are optional and do not affect the main storyline, they are bonus games that you can go back and play at your leisure. Each mission has something to make it unique and give the game enough variety that you do not get bored by playing the same “mission” just with a different background. There is one where you are flying with a rocket-pack and have to deal with numerous enemies in a large factory, another where your having to cover your friend from a rooftop with a sniper rifle etc. And each mini-game is based off of the level you just finished so the one where you do a lot of sniper work, the mini-game is all about how many people you can snipe in the shortest amount of time.

As you engage in combat, you will get points for tough shots and combo shots, there is a little bar underneath your weapon icon, when that bar fills up, you will have upgrades available for your weapons and armor. Upgrades will do things like give you extra available ammo for a specific weapon, increase the range or accuracy or increase the damage that weapon will do.

James Bond From Russia With Love is a great PSP title and with the mini-games that are available it has a lot of replayability to it. Even the main missions themselves have a lot of replayability since once you complete a mission you can go back and replay it any time you want to, and at any difficulty level you want. So if you play the game on easy first time through, you can then jump up to the Bond level and get your butt kicked by the game.

With the cut scenes from the movie, playing the game is almost like watching the movie again. If you’re a 007 fan, or are looking for a fun shooter, you should give this is one a try.