Generally speaking, a handheld game system needs four things to keep my attention span focused firmly upon it:

First, an addictive puzzle game. Tetris fit the bill back in the day on the original Game Boy, and even better than a dozen years later, I still break it out for use on my GBA SP when the urge takes me. The PSP has Lumines, and early indications are that I can probably expect a similar addiction.

Secondly, an excellent baseball game. The original Game Boy had Bases Loaded, and Game Gear had World Series Baseball, which kept me up late on school nights, hiding under the covers. Pitifully few recent handhelds have filled this need; I hope the upcoming PSP baseball games can do the trick.

Thirdly, I need something with a story. Usually this means an RPG of some kind, but it doesn't have to. Golden Sun and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap have done the trick for me on the Game Boy Advance. Untold Legends is keeping me occupied in this realm so far, but who knows if that will have similar lasting appeal.

Finally, I need an excellent racing game, something to provide me with an adrenaline rush. While I enjoyed the first GBA F-Zero, there hasn't been much for me to get excited about in the handheld realm...until now.

It isn't, you understand, that WipEout Pure is terribly revolutionary. No, the appeal of this game is that it returns to the roots of the franchise, and puts it in the palm of your hand with startling clarity.

One of the things I was most concerned about initially was how the fast pace of WipEout would translate to the PSP, especially with the various differences between PSP's controls, and those of the PlayStation 2. As it turns out, Studio Liverpool handled that issue adroitly. The left and right triggers, used independently, let you use your airbrakes for cornering, while tapping the triggers together just slows your speed down in general.

The X button is your accelerator, the square button fires your weapons, and the circle button serves as an on-the-fly refueler. Rather than taking time out to hit pit lanes, WipEout Pure gives you the ability to absorb your weapons pickups to restore energy. The great thing about this is that it allows you to repair your ship without distracting from the intensity of the races. It means making hard decisions about weaponry sometimes, but survival means you do what it takes.

Fortunately, you don't face those decisions when it comes to speed; the addition of a mid-air barrel roll move (executed with either a left-right-left or a right-left-right tap of the D-pad, depending on which direction you want to roll) not only looks impressive, but it also gives you a speed boost if executed correctly.

The arsenal of pickups is impressive, as well; you've got old standbys such as shields, rockets, and missiles, as well as more powerful weapons such as the disruption bolt, which can impair vision or disable vehicle controls, and the plasma bolt, which can cause major damage, if you score a direct hit. It's worth noting that the pickups surrender varying amounts of energy if you choose to absorb them, rather than use them.

There are a few different game modes at your disposal in WipEout Pure. Single Race and Time Trial are just what they sound like; Single Race allows you to race a single track without having to progress through a series, and Time Trial has you aiming for the fastest lap on a given track.

If you want to learn the nuances of a track without having to worry about taking damage or hitting top times, then what you're looking for is Free Run mode. In Free Run, you have your run of the course without any burdens or expectations, and you can just learn when the best time to start cornering is, and what the best lines are to snag the various pickups.

Tournament Mode is basically a series of races, in which points are awarded based upon your finish in each race, and medals are awarded based upon your finish in the Tournament as a whole. Performing well here will unlock faster classes of vehicles, which really just blows the doors off of the WipEout Pure experience...once you're ready for it.

Aside from the 8-player WiFi, perhaps the coolest mode in Pure is Zone Mode. Think of it as sort of a high-speed endurance race. There are four tracks exclusive to this mode, although in terms of extras, they're pretty austere. There aren't any pickups, for example - you don't need 'em. No opposing ships, either. It's just you, the course, and speed boost pads.

As you progress through the various "zones," your speed will grow ever faster, until you either run into one wall too many and go "boom," or until you reach the highest possible zone. Remember that "adrenaline rush" I talked about? Zone Mode is the very essence of what that is all about...and it also allows you to grow acclimated to the higher speeds without the added pressure of competition.

Atmospherically, Pure impresses. The framerate is occasionally a little shaky, but it never significantly impairs the gameplay. The ship models are impressive, and the tracks - both old and new - are a joy to behold. Additional cars and tracks will be forthcoming, via the content download manager, and I must say I'm looking forward to what Studio Liverpool will have to offer when the time comes. Caveat emptor: in WiFi races, everybody will need to have the content in order for anybody to use it.

The audio in Pure is probably the best I've heard in any of the PSP games, with apologies to Lumines (which is also excellent in its own right). The electronic tracks are perfectly suited to the atmosphere of the game, and serve to heighten the already impressive intensity of the game. Nineteen songs are included out of the box, and along with new cars and tracks, the possibility evidently exists for additional music to be added down the road. Better start saving your pennies for a larger Pro Duo, boys and girls.

Every game system, console or handheld, ought to have at least one "killer app," one or two or three games that lessen the interminability of the window between launch and the later flood of releases. For sheer mass market accessibility, WipEout Pure is unquestionably that game for the PSP.