PSP reinforcements arrive, whilst DS is left to the kids for now

Uncharacteristically, it's taking a little time to get publishers into the Christmas swing of things, with the handheld release schedule teasing its customers with a start/stop/start/stop attitude that not even the most popular girl at school would get away with.

But if you handily ignore this week, which does at least contain an accomplished conversion of favourite Dreamcast brawler, Power Stone, next Friday promises to take you all the way to fourth base.

Inevitably there will be some disappointment in the form of titles backing out. But with 12 games expected, whatever's left still has the potential to entertain.

We'll be happy as long as PSP debutantes Every Extend Extra and Pilot Academy, together with The Sims 2 Pets on DS show up, because those three particularly caught our eye earlier in the year.

That's not to say Pippa Funnell or Strawberry Shortcake aren't cute but, you know, they're a little young.

Erm, anyway, let's see what happens. The encouraging thing to take away from this week's release schedule update is that publishers finally appear to be getting geared up for the traditional end-of-year orgy. Cor!