Spyro the Dragon PlayStation

Gnasty Gnorc was never taken seriously throughout his life. After all, it's not easy being ugly in a land filled with beautiful jewels and majestic dragons. So he started to dabble in magic, hoping to learn something that would make those dragons pay. He found it. Gnasty developed the perfect spell to cast over the peaceful land, turning all of those snooty dragons into crystal statues.

He even managed to transform some of the jewels into soldiers that would do his bidding The magic wasn't perfect, however: Gnasty somehow missed a young dragon named Spyro. Now Spyro, along with his dragonfly companion Sparx, must embark on a quest to free his friends from captivity.

Take to the skies as a little purple dragon in this 3D action-adventure game by the developers of Disruptor. Spyro and dragonfly Sparx must travel to different worlds in order to end Gnasty's nefarious plans. Thirty free-roaming levels await players of all ages, and special treasure rounds will put their flying skills to the test. In total, there are 80 dragons to free, 10,000 pieces of treasure to find, and 12 mysterious ~Dragon Eggs to collect. Are you up to the task?

If so, you'll be able to traverse the following six areas: ~Artisans World, where you'll begin the game, is a world filled with rolling green hills, huge castles and several pillars to glide on; ~Peace Keepers offers desert-like terrain, enormous canyons and steep cliffs; ~Magic Crafters surrounds you with ice-capped mountains and sky platforms to leap from; ~Beast Makers consists of murky swamps, treetops and villages; ~Dream Weavers contains dark tunnels, haunted towers and bubbling lava; and ~Gnasty's World, your final destination, is where you'll be able to finally settle the score.

Spyro the Dragon also supports the ~Dual Shock Analog Controller so you can feel every hit, gallop and jump during your adventure. As the dragon, you'll be able to perform eight different moves: run, walk, glide, charge, roll, breathe fire, jump and fly. Players can also grab either the Fireball or Super Flame power-up to really make their enemies "feel the burn."

Music was composed by former Police band member Stewart Copeland and Spyro's speech is performed by Carlos Alazraqui, the voice behind ~Taco Bell's 1998 Chihuahua commercials. Many secrets and hidden areas are waiting to be discovered, but don't get too distracted -- your friends need you ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide