As the mind controlled super simians return to the Playstation 2 this year with Ape Escape 3, one can only wonder what keeps the itchy apes going? Specter, the "genius" leader of the monkeys decides a bit of training is needed to prepare them for the new dangers they would inevitably face. This is where Ape Escape Academy for the PSP rolls in. This may sound a bit strange, but apparently the monkeys are trained with basic mathematics, courtship by flowers and are eventually graded on a tic-tac-toe board. While all of that may sound like good light-hearted fun that suits the nature of the series, it actually ends up being the core problem. Ape Escape Academy is a hollow experience that serves only to make you wish you spent your money on Ape Escape 3, a much better game in every respect. There is some fun to be had here, but you shouldn't have to struggle to find it.

Academy plays out as a mini-game based adventure that feels similar to games like WarioWare and even a little Mario Party. The problems start as soon as the game ends, which is fairly quickly. The main adventure mode of Academy can be completed in a couple hours and since a few mini-games will be repeated, it just seems like there weren't enough games to begin with. The main single player game is "Academy Mode" and you will be instructed by various boss characters from past Ape Escape titles. You are presented with a tic-tac-toe board filled with different mini-games that range from mind games to games that focus on the body. Once your game is chosen, you are treated with a load screen that gives you very basic information about the game you are about to play (not always helpful I might add).

Some of the mini-games are fun, but others are downright awful. I won't even dwell on the mathematics games because I'm sure that most gamers weren't interested in actually paying for extra homework. The few highlights in the game include one where you hold a shield to defend against an onslaught of arrows and another game which has you maneuvering a tower of monkeys that can collapse at any second if you don't maintain balance. If those games don't sound all that interesting to you, then you have an idea of what to expect. The games that should work really well like the takes on soccer, air hockey and boxing end up being way too simple, or too restricting to please.

When a term ends, the instructor will pass or fail you based on how youperformed on the board. In order to pass you need to have a certain line of successes, either diagonally, vertically or horizontally. This means that if you happen to win all the games on the four corners of the board and flunk out on the others, all the actual accomplishments you did have, mean nothing and you will be forced to start again and play through the same games. This cycle continues to the very end of the game and when its all over, there isn't really anything special to commend you. From that point on, you can simply choose to play any of the games you want over again. With most of them, you will have played so much that you'll simply be tired of the games and the extra options won't interest you. There is a showcase section that displays the monkey figurines you collected and those that like to fully complete their games can work to fill up their collection. 

The game has two ways to play in multiplayer. The first is extremely misleading. "Share" mode allows you to play with a friend on the same PSP system. I'm sure someone out there may find that entertaining but considering this is a portable we're talking about, it doesn't seem all that practical. Thankfully, this initially misleading feature isn't listed on the back of the box. The second mode is for linking up with other PSPs and for those that genuinely enjoy some of the games, it can be quite fun.

As a simple and straightforward game, the graphics and sound seem to follow the package. The graphics are colorful and clean without any noticeable slowdown, but don't expect anything mindblowing (I knew you weren't). The voices, sound effects and music are also fairly standard but for those that appreciate the humor of the series, the music and voices especially will please fans as they maintain the quality from its console counterparts.

As a party game, Ape Escape Academy is held back by its repetitive and often underutilized mini-game concepts. The load times aren't especially long but considering the length of each game and the transition between menus, you will definitely notice it. The games seemingly fast paced nature would have been better suited for the DS, but that's not going to happen. The Ape Escape series is known and loved for two reasons. The first being the innovative control scheme that utilizes a second analog stick, something the PSP is definitely lacking. The other would of course being the whole concept of capturing monkeys, which has made the series so popular from the beginning. Without the two elements the game feels lost and ultimately shallow. Maybe next time Specter. As Pink Monkey always says, Go for Perfect!