Many a great canine have shared their lives and wisdom with us. Who could forget Pluto, Mickey Mouse's loyal companion? Who could ignore Tinkerbell, the pocket-sized Chihuahua packed inside Paris Hilton's purse? And how could anyone not recognize the contribution of TV greats like Madison (who plays Vincent on "Lost")?

These canines go above and beyond the call of the wild. Isn't it about time video games had a dog that did the same?

Ruff Trigger, a leading bounty hunter en route to the planet Endust, is taking a shot at being the first mascot game to star a dog. Noted in the manual's debriefing, "Ruff isn't the sort of mutt for mundane missions." As the galaxy's top dog, players will go on a space hunt to fetch the missing Piglots (a strange, dog-like alien species).

That's job number-one. Job two is destroy and defend, and you're going to have to do a lot of that if Ruff expects to complete his mission. Enemies are not too common. You'll have long stretches where only one or two appear, if any. Sub-bosses are another story. Their bite, unfortunately, is much harsher than their bark.

Robots hover smoothly, yet manage to move in a somewhat clunky manner. Mr. Trigger, on the other hand, is suave, almost sophisticated, and moves as smooth as an animal trying to impersonate Ratchet's every action. You know Ratchet – the star of hits like Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. His games have a very distinct type of movement and level design, resulting in a fine mix of third-person action/adventuring and first-person shooting. Ruff is a big fan, and he wants every part of Ratchet's fun.

It Feels Like...

Ruff Trigger's basic controls are very well done. While not wholeheartedly seamless, the character movement is smooth and comes close to the game it's aspiring to be. Camera controls are decent most of the time – choppy the rest – but always manageable. Double jumps are a breeze to pull off even if you don't press the buttons in close succession.

It Looks Like...

"Where's Ratchet?" You'll be asking yourself that as you walk through each spacious, futuristic building. Aside from parodies, the Mushroom Kingdom has stayed exclusive to Mario. Sonic's homeland has also been left alone. Meanwhile, the newer generation of mascot games is having its intellectual properties utilized all over the industry.

Fans of Ratchet & Clank should be intrigued; fans of originality may have another opinion. The colors, texturing, layout, enemy formation, the way enemies are encountered, the way sub-bosses are introduced, the way new weapons are acquired – it's all taken from the Ratchet handbook.

But It Doesn't Taste Like...

The cutesy, copy-cat-filled world is not surprisingly satisfying. Had I known that this was going to be a Ratchet clone, I would have expected to enjoy it. Not knowing that, I expected to enjoy it for other reasons. I love the genre, always have, and will continue to search for games that take it to new heights.

The act of collecting Piglots is simple – perhaps too simple for any child who's played through a Crash Bandicoot title – but still fun. Saving Piglots is the key to opening gates, rising platforms, and triggering other environmental elements that allow you to progress in the game. This reward system gives players an extra bit of incentive to continue collecting the tiny creatures. Otherwise they might've gotten caught up in the trigger-happy fun: blasting pesky robots.

Robots, whether big or small, look a lot like those featured in Ratchet's games. Yeah, you probably saw that coming by now. It's still a fact worth mentioning, as they are the reason to be enthused, as well as the reason you'll be turned off.

Let's cut to the chase: the targeting system doesn't work. For starters, you have to hold down two buttons to accomplish the task. One (R1) is used to locate and temporarily hold on to nearby enemies, which it does ineffectively. Whether near or far, the enemy will only be recognized by the targeting system if the camera is pointed in the right direction. That defeats the purpose of having a targeting system – if I have to adjust the camera first, I'm already in place to take out the enemy. There's no need to continue with nonsensical, unmethodical button-holding.

The second button (L1) is used to firmly lock-on to the enemy once it has been targeted. This enables you to stay pointed toward the enemy while moving away, creating a third-person-style strafe mechanic. In other words, the first button didn't really do much, as walking away deletes your target. However, holding both buttons doesn't do much either, as walking too far away deletes your target. The target will also be lost if you turn too much to one side.

Sub-bosses would be a piece of cake if you could lock-on, strafe, and retaliate. Ultimately that's never the case. Players are at the mercy of a control system that doesn't let you do things you're already capable of doing. When kids start failing because the controls failed them, it's over. The game just lost its target market.

Gameplay: 6.7
Ruff Trigger is going to have a rough time meeting the needs of its intended users. Piglot-collecting is fun; enemy encounters are not (due to the faulty targeting system). Since that makes up the majority of the game, it's hard to enjoy the game, regardless of how easy it (technically) is.

Graphics: 3.5
Ugly explosions, bland characters, boring enemies – Ratchet clone or not, the graphics cannot compare.

Sound: 6.0
Cheesy, but moderately fitting to the experience.

Difficulty: Easy
Ruff Trigger's targeting system is a big turn-off. The difficulty, however, is not (unless you're looking for a challenge).

Concept: 5.0
Ratchet & Clank with new characters and a targeting system that doesn't work.

Overall: 6.0
It's hard to recommend a game that's rough on the player. A fierce challenge is rarely turned away, but how can anyone – kids of all people – overcome the lack of a steady shooting mechanic? I honestly doubt that gamers of any age will be accepting of this flaw.

For the kids who have played the game that Ruff Trigger copies, forget it – move on. They're going to expect that same level of quality from this clone. Unavoidably, they'll be disappointed.