17 July 2008 9:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Buzz on the PS2 was Sony's attempt at creating a game franchise that used dedicated controls way before the Nintendo Wii was on the scene. So can the new PS3 version build on the fun of the PS2 titles? We put our finger on the buzzer to find out.

Still using the same four Buzz controllers, although you can now get wireless options so your living room isn't covered in a spaghetti of cables, the concept if you haven't heard of Buzz until now, is simple: four players, four controllers, four coloured buttons and one big buzzer each.

You then answer a series of questions based around a set subject playing games like stop the clock or pass the bomb. It's all good fun and one, guaranteed you have a bunch of mates to play with, worth investing in.

The catch, of course, was if you didn't have a bunch of mates or you'd played it enough that you knew all the answers.

In steps the PS3 version and while the graphics and gameplay hasn't really changed, the big addition is the online gaming modes. Sign in to the PlayStation Network and you're offered the chance to challenge other gamers around the world in Sofa vs. Sofa mode or merely download questions that you or other people have uploaded. Want to test your prowess on questions based on the original Die Hard movie? No problem, what about a bevy of Trick Questions? You'll find those too.

Where the real fun comes in is showing your vast knowledge in the Sofa vs. Sofa mode. Frustratingly you can only play one player in this option rather than your whole family against another somewhere on the other side of the planet, but it’s still worth the effort.

Subject areas range from "Movies" to "Body and Soul" and beyond and all the questions are of average difficulty if you have half a brain.

Playing online we found the experience easy and enjoyable. Joining a game is as simple as pressing a couple of buttons (mainly to choose your character) and like the offline version the person in last place gets to choose the subject so they've got a chance to claw their way back into the game. Games are based over three levels and it's a shame you can't have more control over which type of game or the length of game you play when online.

Questions are varied, however not as varied as we might have liked (we got the same ones a couple of times) and because you are given the answer even if you are wrong you'll soon learn which button to press when they come around again.

There are of course league tables to rank yourself in and gloat, or cringe, according.

Verdict

One of the disadvantages of a quiz game is that if you play it enough you'll eventually know all the answers. Here you can get around that problem by buying or downloading more questions either from the PlayStation Network or just randoms looking to challenge people and that's before you start playing online to show them how clever you really are.

So has the PS3 version worked?

Of course it has. Sony has managed to create a game that works with friends after a dinner party as well as when your home alone looking to test your knowledge rather than kill yet another zombie.

Score

Review Recap

Made by

Sony

Price as reviewed

£49.99

The good

Download more questions, play others online

The bad

Questions weren't random enough, one player per PS3 online

Quick verdict

Sony has managed to create a game that works with friends after a dinner party as well as when your home alone looking to test your knowledge rather than kill yet another zombie

Score

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