Everyone knows the deep philosophical roots of Lemmings. After all, is it not just a metaphor for life, as we shamble on ad infinitum until we fall to our dooms, reaching our goal only by way of some cosmic being? Or perhaps it's just a game to stop some cute little green-haired buggers from getting crushed, zapped, crisped, or meeting any other untimely doom before reaching their goal. Either way, it's an addictively good time on the PSP, and an example of what a gaming on-the-go is all about.

Lemmings was conceived back in the day when it wasn't all about action and explosions. It was a game that didn't see you conquer problems like how to take out a guard while staying in the dark, but taking on puzzles like how to stop a flow of Lemmings from jumping off a cliff, using only an umbrella and two bombers. And now it can be taken on the road with you, every single classic level, plus a whole bunch more.

For those who don't know what Lemmings is (and if there are any out there, boy will I feel old), it's a simple premise: you've got a bunch of green-haired, blue-shirt-wearing, mindless creatures called Lemmings who just want to get home. There's just one problem: the path is covered with pitfalls, traps, and all sorts of ways to get the little guys killed. So, it's your job to save them by telling them what to do at exactly the right time. Get enough of them home, and it's on to the next level.

To people who have played the original Lemmings, you'll find a lot of familiar content here. You've got the standard lineup of Lemmings, the blocker, digger, climber, and so forth, with no differences from the original lineup of abilities. Here you'll find the original 120 levels of Lemmings reproduced for your gaming pleasure, revamped with pleasantly updated graphics in everything from the environments to the 3D backgrounds to the Lemmings themselves. You'll be able to go through the 'fun', 'tricky', 'taxing', and 'mayhem' difficulties, thirty levels to each, with all the same chaotic puzzlement present from the classic.

In addition to those, however, there are 36 news levels presented in a 'special' mode. These levels start out easy and have a difficulty that starts to ramp up as you complete more and more of them. Eventually the difficulty will represent that present in 'mayhem' levels, noodle-scratchers that will occupy much of your time as you attempt to get the required amount of the little ones home.

Added to the lineup of levels is probably the most entertaining feature for the game: the ability to make your own levels. Using an extensive tileset, the same one that is found in the in-game levels, you can create levels of your own for Lemmings to go through. Alone, this wouldn't be too interesting, but it's the online aspect of Lemmings that makes the replay value of the game apparent.

Probably the best part about Lemmings is the fact that there's a diverse infrastructure mode in Lemming that allows you to share levels with everybody else online. In addition to putting your user-created levels online, you'll be able to download everybody else's to your PSP to play for yourself. Now, for those who fear the presence of Lemmings levels designed around the concept of male genitalia (because trust me, there's always one person), or at the very least, mediocre levels that aren't fun at all, there's the option to rate those you download online. So, while you're browsing through the levels you can download, you'll be able to see the rating that other users have given them. And, finally, you'll also be able to download officially-created levels off of the Lemmings website, if you still want more of the little blue-robed guys.

Controlling the game felt a little strange for me without a mouse (I'm a fan of the old PC version) but it was easy to pick up almost immediately, since it uses the directional pad, and not the clumsy analog stick. The game also has the ability to 'hold' the selection of a particular Lemming as he walks into a crowd, able to keep track of him and use an ability on him no matter where your cursor is on the screen. Really, my only complaint about the controls is the awkwardness of designating an ability to a Lemming immediately after unpausing the game. Aside from that, the controls are pretty solid.

What makes Lemmings so enjoyable is how it plays the role of a portable game impeccably. It's perfect to play for a few minutes on a bus or while you wait in line, since you can just beat a level or two, then turn it off it you wish. The loading times are short and the game puts you into the puzzles immediately, so there's no waiting time. Lemmings is a very well-done re-creation of the original experience, and it makes for a very enjoyable game on the go.