Not since Gary Coleman got arrested for beating up a female fan has something so small caused so big a fuss. Sony's PlayStation Portable landed in North American stores on Thursday, kicking off the Japanese giant's first foray into portable gaming. One that seems to be aiming directly at the heart - and bottom line - of countrymen competitors Nintendo, who have lorded over the handheld gaming market for nearly two decades.

In honour of the little game machine's big debut, we're doing four pint-sized reviews of PSP launch titles this week (Ridge Racer - Dynasty Warriors - Lumines), sampling the handheld's surprisingly deep software selection right out of the gate.

From the next-gen living room consoles down to niche oddities like the Tapwave Zodiac, if it plays games, it's had a Tony Hawk title on it at some point.

So it comes as little surprise that the PSP is launching with an extreme skateboarding game from Activision's storied franchise, starring the he's-gotta-be-40-by-now Hawk and pals (including Jackass alumnus Bam Margera.)

What is surprising is that this game is essentially a perfect hand-held redux of the console version of Tony Hawk's Underground 2, as opposed to being some stripped-down, 2-D reinterpretation. The game even features four new levels exclusive to the PSP version.

If you're not a fan of the Birdman and his exploits, T.H.U.G. 2: Remix isn't going to turn you on to the tried-and-true gameplay formula that's been around since the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation days.

And while it looks great, don't expect it to be quite as graphically slick as the PS2 version of the game (though the load times are nearly as frickin' long.)

But if you're one of those gamers who can string together a single trick combo across an entire sprawling level and who discovers every goal, gap and unlockable character, the fact that you're enjoying genuine Tony Hawk action in the palm of your hand is flat-out gnarly. Do the kids still say gnarly these days? Rad? Wicked? You get the idea.