At the end of Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, players were left with a bit of a cliffhanger. After defeating the evil Captain Slag and Emperor Tachyon, Clank was abducted by the mysterious alien race known as ‘Zoni’, which only Clank was capable of seeing–and this is where the next installment of Ratchet and Clank Future kicks off. Quest for Booty is a $15 downloadable game available on the PlayStation Network that serves as a bridge between Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and the next game in the series due out in 2009.

Quest for Booty is an interesting game. Since it’s only $15, it’s obviously not going to be a full length, full fledged Ratchet and Clank game that you’ve come to expect from the retail versions seen in the past. Playing through the story mode will take somewhere between three and four hours, which is where most of its problems arise. One of the Ratchet and Clank series’ most impressive accomplishments in the past was its over the top stories, giving you the feeling that the fate of the universe was in your hands. However, since Quest for Booty’s campaign is so short, it hinders the experience significantly in that it feels far less epic, leaving a story that is hard to care about. And to top it off, there’s almost no resolution to the mystery of Clank’s abduction, making it seem like an unnecessary chapter in the story.

But that’s not to say Quest for Booty is a bad game by any means. Almost every gameplay decision made by the developers is both smart and clever. For one, it focuses much more on platforming than action this time around. Instead of shooting insane, overpowered guns like in previous games, you’ll be scaling massive towers riddled with saw blades and poison gas, grinding rails similar to ones seen in Tools of Destruction, and solving the occasional puzzle. This makes a lot of sense when looked at closely. The previous Ratchet and Clank games had you upgrading your weapons and laying waste to hordes of enemies–something that wouldn’t work in Quest for Booty because you wouldn’t have enough time to upgrade your weapons.

It would seem that the use of weapons being almost completely absent from Ratchet’s arsenal would make him completely helpless, but Ratchet has a few new tricks up his sleeve this time around. His trusty wrench can now shoot out a stream of electricity, which gives Ratchet the ability to manipulate certain platforms in the world. He’ll use this to lower springs to the ground so he can jump on them to reach high areas, grab onto platforms and drag them closer to him, and rotate platforms from a vertical state to a horizontal one. Another new ability Ratchet’s wrench has is the ability to pick up certain items. He’ll be able to pick up both a flaming ball of coal used to break through barriers, and a glowing creature which lights up the area around him, scaring away light sensitive enemies. These new abilities are used in clever ways throughout the game as well. You’ll find yourself using them in situations like grinding along a rail, grabbing a flaming coal and then throwing it into a wall blocking your path, and a few other interesting scenarios. These new abilities are interesting enough to stay intriguing throughout the story mode and open up exciting new doors for future Ratchet and Clank titles.

From a technical viewpoint, Quest for Booty is extremely impressive. It uses the same engine that Tools of Destruction used, but looks even more beautiful. The character models look crisper, the water looks beautiful, and the frame rate is smoother than ever. The download will take up a hefty 2.3GB of space on your hard drive though, so you’ll want to make sure you’re ready to devote that much of your PS3’s hard drive space to a three to four hour game that you’re not likely to play through more than once.

But overall, Ratchet and Clank is a solid experience. The platforming is fun, the grinding is exciting, and the puzzles are clever, but you’re not going to see too many combat heavy areas. You’re not going to get the same quality of adventure you’ve come to expect from the full length Ratchet and Clank titles, but you’ll get the same top notch production values, and with the $15 price tag, this is one worth picking up if you’re a Ratchet and Clank fan itching for more of the furry lombax to hold you over until the next installment in the series.