When Sony introduced their redesign of the original PlayStation to the public, it was met with some pretty high praise. Many liked the new design of the system; everything from it's small size to the cozy white exterior screamed style and coolness. Even better was the option of purchasing a small LCD screen to attach to the back of the system so that it would become a semi-portable console. While Sony hasn't come up with their own monitor attachment for the system, Interact has stepped up to the plate with their offering, the Mobile Monitor. While the idea of producing an accessory such as a monitor may seem to be too expensive to even bother with, Interact has produced a product that not only possesses some excellent qualities, but manages to keep the price down to a level that is in reach of most gamers.

To get the technicalities out of the way, the Mobile Monitor is a 6 x 9 cm backlit LCD screen with controls to adjust the brightness, contrast, tint, and volume. The monitor is also equipped with a metal stand and headphone inputs, as well as A/V inputs. Why the A/V additions? I have no idea, but with this feature included, it is actually possible to hook up your favourite game system to this monitor! You can use an N64, Dreamcast or an original PlayStation with this accessory, giving it a lot more versatility than was originally expected from it.

What surprised me about the monitor is how amazing the picture was when I started playing. I first popped in Chrono Cross to see how it would fare, and the results were absolutely astonishing. The high resolution screen is something that truly needs to be seen to be believed. The FMV and the in-game scenes were both shown with great clarity and colour, while the sound produced was exceptional as well. While the characters did seem on the small side during some sequences, the overall result impressed me greatly. The next game I tried was WWF Smackdown! 2, which gave the same great results as Chrono Cross did. The graphics actually seemed a touch better on the monitor due to the resolution and the screen size, and I actually got a crowd watching me at work while I tried the game out. It seemed that everyone was really impressed with the work that Interact has done with the monitor.

While the Mobile Monitor definitely has some great features to it, it is not without it's drawbacks. The screen is sometimes too small for certain games to be playable with. Older games like Command and Conquer are hard to play without squinting to see your units, while games like Syphon Filter contain text too small to be read on this particular screen. Also, while the sound is exceptional for the cost, it does tend to get a little tinny when cranked up too high, and does not possess enough bass for my liking. Finally, while the $150 isn't too bad of a deal when you consider what you get in the entire package, it might be enough to turn potential customers away.

With that said, the faults that the Mobile Monitor does have are far outweighted by its positive characteristics. With all the standard 3rd party controllers/steering wheels/kitchen sinks that are coming out constantly, it's nice to know that a company such as Interact is willing to develop a product that not only carries itself with a touch of style, but is of high quality as well. If you have a PSOne (or any console for that matter) and you are not intimidated by the $150 price tag, this is the perfect accessory for you.

··· Reno