How to cheat at handheld games

Have you ever twisted your Sony PSP in separate directions through utter gameplay frustration, or slammed shut the clamshell of your Nintendo DS as it tartily hands you your ass for the umpteenth time? If you have, then adopting a reactionary 'by fair means or foul' approach to becoming a self-professed handheld victor within the confines of your own guilt is probably something you've contemplated.

But where should you go for the most comprehensive lists of video game cheats and codes so that you can finally put pay to Burnout: Legends, or triumph over virtually impossible odds in New Super Mario Bros.? Look no further than Pocket Gamer and our handy guide to the ways of the cheat-loving charlatan.

Taking cheating to the MAX

Despondent DS gamers and perplexed PSP users will probably glean most immediate joy from a physical cheat solution. And of those available, Datel's Action Replay MAX system arguably ranks as the premiere choice in providing instant access to a massive range of specially created 'powersaves'.

The Action Replay MAX cheats, provided by the game gurus at CodeJunkies.com, immediately deliver a host of in-game advantages, including extra weapons, ammunition, power and energy across hundreds of different titles via a whopping 64MB Memory Card (PSP), or else a packed-to-the-rafters DS cartridge.

Furthermore, both the PSP and DS versions enable you to hook up to CodeJunkies.com and download powersave updates through Datel's MAX Media software and a handy USB cable (included with both).

Specifically, the Action Replay MAX offers such goodies as infinite lives and health, all vehicles and levels, and bizarre extras such as giant heads, tiny characters, huge jumps and plenty of other oddities. For example, owners of Mario Kart DS can look forward to enjoying the advantages provided by 'Unlock All Nitro Courses, Unlock All Retro Courses and Unlock All Characters, Cars, and Classes' as well as having complete control over 'Freeze Time' along with 'Power-Ups and Trophies, and instant Three-Star Ranks'.

This vast expanse of cheating goodness applies to all of the hundreds of games included on Action Replay MAX, which can be purchased for the Sony PSP at £21.99/$34.82 from Amazon, and for the Nintendo DS/DS Lite for £16.99/$24.82 (also, from Amazon).

More hardware for the hard stuff

Datel and CodeJunkies don't have a monopoly on retail cheat systems though. The Mad Catz/Fire International Xploder series also offers up cheat selections, though, in the case of the PSP's Xploder Movie Player & Media Centre, cheats are some way down the order of business in terms of tangible content.

However, the DS-flavoured Xploder Cheat Saves solution offers virtually the same features as Datel's Action Replay MAX, delivering cheat access through a crammed DS cartridge while also enabling you to hook up to the online Xploder database for cheat updates.

The Xploder Cheat Saves comes bundled with a USB cable and cradle and can be purchased for £16.99 from Amazon.

Online skullduggery

Next, there's the often overwhelming selection of online websites that are packed with codes, cheats, hints & tips, walkthroughs, and FAQs-if you know where to look.

Naturally, the Web's biggest games-specific sites offer masses of official and community-driven cheat/guide content, with the likes of (GameSpot's) GameFAQs.com, IGN.com, GameSpy and GameZone.com covering virtually any and all gaming query while providing access to a massive amount of cheats and codes between them.

Yet, smaller and more focused cheat sites such as CheatCC.com (Cheat Code Central), ConsoleCheatCodes.com, and (GamesRadar's) CheatPlanet.com also provide literally thousands of PSP and DS codes (and many thousands more across other video game platforms).

Check them out, and give the little guys a go! (And don't forget to read the PG Tips section at the end of every Pocket Gamer review for handy hints fresh from the reviewer).

The pen is mightier than the restart button

Print publications, of course, offer a reliable source for those seeking quality cheat coverage, and virtually all video game magazines include limited cheats and guides, or even bundle cheats, codes, guides and FAQs as supplemental extras to the magazine proper at some time or another.

If you're looking for more comprehensive content, then the likes of BradyGames, the prominent strategy guide creator, is currently offering Secret Codes 2007: Volume 1, a 400-page pocket guide that provides masses of multi-format cheats-including the PSP and DS.

BradyGames.com's online bookstore also stocks various dedicated strategy guides for the PSP and DS, including GTA: Liberty City Stories, Metal Gear: Acid and Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins.

The Secret Codes 2007: Volume 1 publication is presently available from the US-based website for $7.99, while individual strategy guides can be purchased at retail for $15.99, or downloaded via PDF for a somewhat hefty sounding $9.99.

As a low-cost alternative, those not wishing to splash out for in-depth publications can instead take advantage of the fairly decent list of PSP and DS game cheat codes that the BradyGames official website freely lists.

A rival publication worth considering is The Ultimate Guide to PSP: Volume Two, which is a fully updated cheats, hints and tips spectacular that focuses on masses of titles, including Splinter Cell: Essentials, Tomb Raider: Legend, GTA: Liberty City Stories, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, and many, many others. Published by Papercut Ltd, the 210-page Ultimate Guide to PSP: Volume Two can be secured for as little as £6.39 (Amazon.co.uk).

Papercut also published a similar DS-specific book in late 2006 entitled Ultimate Nintendo DS Cheats, Codes & Secrets: Volume 2 (available at Amazon). This 200-page guide to all things DS includes cheats, codes, hints and tips, and presently sells for a mere £6.39. It covers tons of games including Mario Kart DS, Nintendogs, and Animal Crossing: Wild World. As an extra bonus, it provides reviews and ratings for every DS game (not that you'll need them for more than academic interest, when you have our comprehensive Buyer's Guide at your fingertips!)

Then there's Codes & Cheats: Volume 6, the latest cheat edition in a long-standing series from Prima Games, which is an extensive multi-format book packed that promises some 15,000 '100 per cent verified codes' across 400 pages, and all for a paltry £4.99/$6.99 (from, yes you guessed it, Amazon).

In conclusion, there isn't a video game in existence that cannot be beaten, either by the skilful application of genuine player prowess and superhuman hand-eye coordination – or by covertly shelling out a little guilty cash to gain access to all the codes and cheats necessary to become the gaming great you've always wanted to be.

(GBP and USD Prices listed are taken from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com, apart from those related directly to BradyGames.com)