Getting this review done on time was a problem, because temporal decisions became a little muddled spending many brilliant days playing Blinx: The Time Sweeper.

The plan was to freeze time, like Blinx the cat does in his game, and get this world exclusive review done without the deadline getting nearer. Add to that the recording of Ben making a nice cup of coffee, and then playing that back every couple of hours when a thirst came on. But our time-controlling antics never got off the ground, unlike those of Blinx.

Let's pause for a moment, and rewind back to early summer, when Blinx was revealed for the very first time in this magazine. Back then, we recognised its potential to be something different and very special; the game sounded like the kind of thing we were promised would come to Xbox, with the unique presence of a hard disk allowing for some completely original gameplay.

We crossed our fingers and hoped developer Artoon would deliver. It has.

A look at the gorgeous screenshots on the following four pages might lead you to believe this is a pretty, hyper-kinetic platformer with a neat time-warping feature.

That, o lucky person about to read about the Xbox game bettered only by Halo, would be something of an understatement, because Blinx is your next essential Xbox purchase. Blinx isn't a Mario clone, or exploration-heavy like Jak and Daxter. Instead, every stage of the game (except for boss stages) contains a certain number of different monsters that need offing. To kill an enemy, you as Blinx fire objects at them from the time sweeper, a vacuum cleaner type device that must be topped up with ammo. Pretty much all of the moveable objects Blinx comes across can be sucked up and used to destroy enemies. Once they're dead, the goal gate opens at the end of the stage, so that the chirpy feline can finish the level.

To aid progress, Blinx uses Time Controls, functions that fast-forward time (and Blinx), or rewind, pause or slow down the game around the grinning tomcat. You can even record one set of actions and then play them back as you carry out a different set of actions in tandem. Effectively, these recorded moments mean that you play co-operatively with yourself, and they're brilliant.

You must pick up combinations of the Time Crystals dotted around each level to get Time Control functions. Blinx can hold up to four crystals at once - if there are three of the same crystal among those four, then he gets one corresponding Time Control, and if all four are the same he gets two.

So to maximise the time-fiddling fun, you must incorporate a surprising amount of strategy to get the Time Controls you want, as four different crystals are useless. Crucially, the Time Controls aren't just a gimmick, they're an absolutely fundamental part of the game.

As the game unfolds, it dawns on you that there are many different ways to use them in your monster-killing adventures. The whole process of collecting and deploying Time Controls effectively makes Blinx a far more thoughtful, deep experience than it may at first appear. This is as much a puzzle game as it a platformer.

The amount of strategy and planning required to get high ranks on the levels (each stage is timed) is the reason why Blinx doesn't match Sonic for speed. But because you have more on your plate than to simply jump from platform to platform (although there is plenty of that to do too), the pace of the game is superbly and finely balanced. It allows good players to organise their crystal collecting, enemy killing and time controlling all at once in order to truly excel.

We're good at Blinx. We've played it loads, and in doing so quickly grew to love it. The brilliant implementation of the time features is just one reason why. The whole game brims with a rare inventiveness and vitality. Little features, like the targets that can be hit to release a lucky shower of gold, time crystals or a less fortunate shower of bombs, crop up all the time.

The game does not rest on its high production value laurels, though. Each world you encounter introduces new elements that keep it feeling fresh, whether it be an all-new area of platforming complexity, or the bombs on World Four that introduce an element of chain-reaction puzzling in the Bomberman style.

Blinx also has a lovely style and character all of its own. And in keeping with the classic video game feel, there is a huge number of secrets to find, and shops that let you buy loads of great stuff with all the gold only the most curious cats find. Ah yes, we love this game...

True love, though, doesn’t mean you can't see the flaws - it's just that you're more prepared to forgive them. There are a few things about Blinx that are irritating. One of these is the camera, which occasionally struggles to provide a good view of the action, especially when Blinx goes through doorways. Fine in the normal stages and rotated with the Right thumbstick for extra ease of use, the camera is difficult to deal with in boss battles.

Because the camera aims towards the boss at all times, negotiating the arena to get time crystals during these sequences can be hard.

Another annoying thing is the ten-minute time limit, an ever-present constraint on each level. Some of the levels can easily take ten minutes if you dawdle, and missing out on finishing a level by only a few seconds after playing it for so long can be galling.

Very occasionally, Blinx may find himself in a situation he can't get out of, meaning a restart is required. At other times, picking up the Time Crystal you want can be made tricky, since getting the right one from a cluster is sometimes a matter of luck.

But it's a measure of the game's quality that you can spend ten minutes on a level, lose, and immediately have another go, time and time again. You always want to see what the next world looks like (invariably gorgeous), and see what Blinx has up its sleeve.

It's so rare for a game to be this inventive, to have such a unique feel, and to be so intriguing. If you have an Xbox, you need to buy this.

1. Blindingly original gameplay ideas
2. Time control works brilliantly
3. Looks superb
4. Loads of genuine replay value

1. Can be frustrating on occasion

Power
Features the most original use of the Xbox hard disk we've yet seen, and looks smashing too.

Style
The quirky worlds are appealing, and Blinx is a cheery little cat. Some odd sound effects, though.

Immersion
The regular occurrence of new ideas and the brilliant use of time keep the interest high.

Lifespan
Lots of levels, and loads to discover within them. Get truly addicted and you'll want to get top ranking.

Summary
Blinx uses Xbox to take platform games into uncharted territory. The result is inventive, fun and downright essential.