I have been a big fan of the God of War franchise since its debut on the PS2 back in 2005.  I loved the accessibility of the game, the right amout of challenge, and the constant feeling like you're some sort of bad ass.  Almost everything in the game that you do oozes intensity or out-right awesomeness.  And while many other games have done QTE's, I still think that this series does it the best.  That's why when I bought by PSP 3000 back in October, this was one of the first games I decided to get (via download). 
 
God of War:  Chains of Olympus is an amazing representation of the God of War console games on the handheld.  While some of the majesty and awesomeness may be slightly diminished from the small PSP screen, it really does manage to capture everything that was cool about God of War and translate it to the handheld.  First of all, the controls are spot on.  I think that the GOW series has some of the most responsive controls in the genre and GOW:  Chains of Olympus is equally as responsive.  While the dodging mechanic is a bit clunkier in the PSP than in the console version, once you get used to it--everything flows.  Most of the combos remain from the PS2 games and the combat just feels right.  I have to say, some of the magics were kind of throw away, but that being said, the only magic that I ever really used in the first 2 games were the lightening one.   
 
Perhaps another staple of the GOW franchise is the scale of the game.  In the console versions, there are many time when Kratos is minuscule next to a huge set piece.  The PSP game is no different.  They managed to recreate that sense of scale that was critical in developing the mood of the console games.  There were plenty of times in the PSP game where I couldn't believe what I was playing in the palm of my hands.  The graphics also fully stand out.  While there might not have been as much enemy variety compared to the console versions--the enemy encounters always seems satisfying at the end.  The boss battles also felt well done and well planned.  While none of the battles compare to the Hydra boss in the 1st GOD, the fights always seemed fair and fun. 
 
Another thing that stands out in the GOW series is the music--and in this regard, this game does not disappoint.  The music is almost exactly the same and what you would want from of GOW game.   
 
One thing that I appreciated in this game is that there were no really annoying portions in the game.  In GOW 1, climbing the wall in Hades was a platforming chore, and I thought that the end fight will all those Kratos's was not well designed.  GOW:  Chains of Olympus has none of these odd bits.  Another type of puzzle this series likes to throw at you are the levels where you have to turn a crank while enemies attack you.  And if you let go of the crank, the platform that you are on starts to move backwards thus loosing you're progress.  I hated these levels.  There was a section on GOW 2 where you had to bring down some sort of platform and the harpies kept spawning and spawning.  If I didn't power up my lightning magic--I probably would have never won the game.  Well, thankfully, Chains of Olympus only has one of these levels, an it is not that bad. 
  
So I have to say that Chains of Olympus was a great game and worthy entry into the GOW franchise.