I’ve only played Monster Hunter Freedom for about eleven hours but the PSP game has already provided me with one of my most memorable gaming moments.

I’m in a mighty wyvern’s lair with the intention of stealing one of its eggs. I was frightened away by the beast once and was thrashed by it on another occasion but this time I’m lucky. The beast is in its lair close to its nest but asleep. I move cautiously towards its nest mindful of any changes in its snoring. The snoring is loud but it’s hard to make it out with my heart pounding away.

Oh yeah, mama dragon is bi-i-i-ig.

I make it to the nest and grab one of the eggs. Arms full of wyvern egg, I wadle slowly towards the cave entrance. I have to be really careful now. Crouch and the egg breaks. Fall from too great a distance and the egg breaks.

A few anxious moments later, I finally make it out of the cave with the egg still intact. I avoid the large insect that stalks the entrance of the cave, carefully jump down to the ground and move towards the exit of the area.

Then I hear an awful roar behind me …

I’m now comically scarpering, burdened with a large wyvern egg, stopping frequently to catch my breath. I make it to the next area and pause.

I hear another roar behind me.

It’s following me?

Another roar.

It’s following me!

Oh[badword]oh[badword]oh[badword]!

I did make it back to my camp with the egg but it’s heart-in-mouth moments like those that make this PSP game a real blast.

Job: Hunting

The game’s title tells you what you need to know about the game. There are monsters and you are free to hunt them in the manner you choose. There’s a primal thrill in stalking a huge beast in a jungle, knowing it only takes one mistake to go from hunter to hunted.

Hunting may be the main draw of Monster Hunter Freedom but I was surprised by how engrossing the other aspects of the game were. Who would’ve thought gathering herbs, mining, farming, crafting, fishing and cooking could be satisfying?

There’s a lot of game here but it’s delivered in small chunks. The quests I’ve taken thus far have had fifty-minute time limits but I was able to complete most of them within 20 or so minutes, making this an ideal gaming-on-the-go experience.

Don’t let the game’s rating on Metacritic influence you. It’s better than that. Take a look at the trailer and see if it’s up your alley.