Konami is one of the few companies out there really experimenting with it's key franchises, most notably on the PlayStation Portable. The first product, The Silent Hill Experience, delivered an interesting side product to the recently released film and gave PSP owners something to do besides watching UMD movies or playing lame racing games..

The Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel follows a similar formula, though it's an entirely different kind of multimedia experience. But before we get into all that, let's heavily emphasize that this is by no means a game - despite the fact that there is some interactivity involved within this graphic novel. So with that out of the way, let's talk about what this product does and why it's worth $20 - especially for those fans of the ultra popular and long running Metal Gear Solid series.

The Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel is a slightly interactive retelling of the original MGS that started it all - as told by Kris Oprisko. The graphic novel is based on IDW Publishing's works and the art of Ashley Wood. The novel features the familiar MGS plot complete with familiar staples including the man himself Solid Snake, along with villainous characters Sniper Wolf, Revolver Ocelot and Psycho Mantis.

While there's no voice acting to speak of (no pun intended there folks), the hand drawn, 271 panel story does offer some interactivity as well as spot sound effects and a minimal though enjoyable tune familiar to MGS fans.

Graphically, this novel is well done, with lots of well drawn art that effectively drives the story and immerses players into this popular world. Seeing Kris Oprisko's work reminds my why IDW Publishing's books were so popular with fans. Konami has taken this wonderful art and infused it with some nice interactivity and multimedia features that mesh together perfectly.

But beyond the novel's story and wonderful hand drawn art, there's a special Memory Building Simulation Mode that lets users highlight different items, characters, and plot points hidden within the panels that allow you to unlock some history on the game. It's a nice feature that gives users additional interesting factoids about the game and fits in nicely with the entire package.

In the end buying the Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel is like buying the $70 dollar collector's edition of game when you could get it for 49.95. Sure the extras don't really matter but they are cool guilty pleasures that you just have to own. This multimedia PSP product is like that: you don't need it and chances are you won't learn anything significantly new about the Metal Gear Solid series, but it sure is a fun edition to your library of MGS titles. If you're one of those people that is an MGS faithful, then you won't mind picking this bad boy up.