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Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron is very much like Star Wars Battlefront and yet very different at the same time. If you have played any of the previous Battlefront games on the PSP, you will find that the gameplay is very similar, yet the actual game has some very nice additions that may have you playing this iteration over previous over and over.

When you start Renegade Squadron, you will see that there are two basic options for play: single-player and multiplayer modes. There also is a customization choice, which is one of the really cool additions to the game.

Customization allows you to customize the look of your avatar in the game for each of the four "sides" you play — be it Rebel Alliance, Empire, Republic or CIS. Within each, you have the option of setting the body type for the avatar, then choosing a head that goes with your personal vision of the avatar. You can then choose the color scheme for both the highlights and the base color for clothing/armor.

Once you have personalized your avatar, you can then go in and establish a basic load. Here you get to choose your primary and secondary weapons; what explosives, if any, that you want to carry; and special items, such as jump packs, power-ups, additional health, enhanced speed or your HQ capture rate. This allows for you to have much more control over your character and how you will ultimately interact with the missions.

Now that you have your personal avatar set, it's time to jump into the fun.

The multiplayer mode has two options, ad hoc (PSP versus PSP) and infrastructure. The infrastructure uses the Gamespy Online Arcade, so you will need to have a wireless access point to use this option. Once you get online, you will need to log into Gamespy Arcade. Fortunately, if you don't have an ID already established, you can set up a new ID on the spot. I, however, had a Gamespy ID, but for some reason (probably because I'm cursed), I couldn't get it to connect, so I just set up a new ID to play online.

Though I got smacked down continually, the gameplay online was amazingly fun. It's quite a different experience when fighting against other (theoretically) living players instead of just computer-run opponents. This also was my first time ever playing an online multiplayer game on the PSP. I had always worried there would be deterioration of game performance or inhibited play online or that the PSP would not function well in such an environment. I found, to my pleasant surprise, that the game functioned flawlessly and that there was no lag issues or issues with gameplay. It ran just as well as it does in the single-player mode.

Single-player mode is probably where you'll spend the majority of time — that is, if you are anything like me in terms of the kind of gaming you do. Single-player mode has three options to satisfy your space conquest needs. Instant Action, Campaign and Galactic Conquest (always one of my favorites).

Instant Action is basically as stated: You select a series of missions and add them to a "playlist"; once that is done, you hit the launch button and off you go!

Galactic Conquest is a series of conquest missions that you play in an attempt to gain control of the galaxy. Each success gains you credits and the ability to purchase new troop tech, additional units and eventually acquire commanders who will enhance troop functionality. (For those of you who have played the previous Battlefront games, this will be familiar. Though the graphics of the star map are much improved, and the interface is a bit different.) Now you select the number of troops you want to dedicate to a specific attack before launching the assault. Also, should you decide that you don't want to play out a battle, you can choose the "Auto-resolve" button, and the PSP will play out the battle for you.

The last choice is Campaign mode. Campaign mode will take you through a series of training missions to teach you some of the aspects of gameplay. But more important, it tells a story about a group of Rebels known as the Renegade Squadron who fought and died for the Alliance — from its formation on Yavin through the end of the war and the fall of Emperor Palpatine. As the story unfolds, it will take you through a series of missions that were key points in the squadrons history, and you will get to play out their successes in battle against the evil Empire.

The graphics in this game far exceed what has come before in previous Battlefront games on the PSP, and as always, the attention to detail is excellent. For all those Star Wars fanatics out there, the music soundtrack for the game will get your blood pumping with the appropriately dramatic Star Wars theme music that plays in the background of the battles.

The user interface is fairly simple and confined to the edges and corners of the screen so that it does not interfere with gameplay, which is important on such a small screen. There are two sets of key configurations for the controls. I have found that the alternate set of controls works best for me, but you probably will need to experiment with both to find what works best for you.

The game is not difficult, but it is most definitely challenging and has excellent replayability to it, not only from the fact that its fun to just play the various instant action missions. With the online multiplayer option thrown in, there is no end to the variations of gameplay available, so no one mission will ever play out the same way twice.

And when you consider the ability to customize your avatar not only from an aesthetic point of view, but from a practical one as well in that you can adjust your weapon mix and then change it during gameplay, you've got a great opportunity to be original and not get stuck in the same old rut in playing stock characters over and over.

I'd give this game three thumbs up, but I've only got two, and there isn't anyone near me right now that I can borrow a hand from. Give the game a go and get hooked like I did; you'll be a happy storm trooper when you do.