Hands on with God of War: Betrayal on mobile, plus first 21 screens

Peaceniks and pacifists prepare to be riled as Kratos extends his war of vengeance to another front. God of War: Betrayal is set to hit phones after a surprising announcement at Sony Online Entertainment Gamers' Day 2007.

All action with a dash of Greek mythology's greatest hits, God of War: Betrayal promises to satiate your desire for mobile carnage. We should stress at the outset though that this was a US event and hence a US version we played, so we'll have to wait for precise details of the European release – and look out for any differences.

God of War: Betrayal takes place between the two previously-released PlayStation 2 titles, elaborating upon the narrative bridge that connects the original with its sequel. You'll take the role of Kratos, the newly minted god of war after having ousted Aries from his throne.

Sitting atop Mount Olympus, Kratos fails to revel in victory; instead, resentment begins to grow within him against the very deities with which he resides. With undying anger and near-limitless power, he begins a war against the gods of Olympus.

Don't worry about the story too much – especially if you haven't played either of the PlayStation 2 games (which you should, incidentally) – because God of War: Betrayal isn't looking to weave a complex yarn. Rather, it's all about the action in this bloody little adventure.

A total of five levels are slated for the final game, the first of which we played. Each main level is divided into shorter sub-levels, a move intended to make it easy for on-the-go play.

We ran through two of these sub-levels in our time with the game. Both were set in Kratos' home city of Sparta, which had been overrun by Hades' undead warriors. Making short work of them was pretty easy thanks to the assortment of weaponry at our disposal.

Right out the gate, you'll have access to four different weapons: the Chains of Athena, Blade of Artemis, Head of Medusa and Army of Hades. The Chains of Athena serve as Kratos' default weapon, with a press of the left soft key enabling you to switch on-the-fly between the others.

Both the Chains of Athena and Blade of Artemis act as basic melee weapons, letting you beat enemies to a pulp. Jamming on the enter/ok key on your handset executes a basic attack. Successive presses yield combination attacks that dish out added damage.

Deal enough damage to an enemy and you'll prompt a finishing move mini-game. Using the directional pad or arrow keys on your handset, you simply hit corresponding buttons as they are displayed on the screen. Nail it and you'll be rewarded with a fantastically brutal finish.

Each enemy possesses two different finishing moves that can be activated depending on your button presses. For example, we softened up an aggressive two-headed puppy with some basic attacks and then went in for the kill. We were even able to slice off each head by completing a series of button presses.

You can mix up combat by using the game's other two weapons, which differ dramatically from standard melee arms. Enlisting the Army of Hades actually calls on the souls of the dead to beat up your enemies. Equipping the Head of Medusa enables you not so much to attack enemies but rather to turn them to stone with its gaze. We quite enjoyed wielding the dead gorgon's writhing cap and freezing foes in their tracks.

All of this fighting won't be without reward. God of War: Betrayal features a basic power-up system that employs red orbs collected from fallen enemies to boost the attributes of your weapons. Simply access the in-game menu and you can assign red orbs to any of the four weapons.

Beating back monsters was our primary objective in the level we tried, although a few simple platform puzzles peppered our way. Kratos can jump with a press of the directional pad up and even double jump with a follow up press. You can also push and pull statues to solve puzzles. It promises to be worth the effort, with chests of extra red orbs and items that permanently boost your health awaiting discovery.

All of this – the gory action and platform jumping – is presented in a remarkably vivid presentation. God of War: Betrayal features great visual effects such as pixelated blood gushing from sliced foes and highly-detailed scrolling backgrounds. Gameplay is what counts, but it certainly doesn't hurt for the game to look nice; fortunately, God of War: Betrayal promises both.

With Sony Online Entertainment pledging to wage war worldwide by the end of summer, it shouldn't be long before you get to enjoy a little ancient aggression of your own. Click 'Track It!' to watch for more news.