In an age where multiplayer online gaming is the raging norm among major releases, the Just Cause series continues to bite its thumb at its contemporaries.

And that is to be applauded.

Put your hands together also for maintaining the bat-plop ridiculous gameplay we’ve all come to enjoy from a Just Cause game. The JC series does not bother itself with storylines of any depth, although stuffing a Rodriguez family connection into the mix does it no harm here.

Weather machines, Rico’s dad, an island of rebels desperate to throw off the oppressive shackles, large fuel tanks desperate for a missile to relieve their tedious existence. It’s Just Cause: no alarms, no surprises, just full-on paragliding, wing-suiting, RPG-ing, grappling jollity.

As far as freshening up the format is concerned, Rico has a handful of archaeological side-quests which explore the indigenous people’s history via giant rolling heads. Thrash through these and one may call upon these spherical stone destroyers to improve the bodycount.

There’s also a cliché-dripping director running about who needs Rico’s assistance to set up shots which surely flagrantly disregard any health-and-safety legislation which exists on the island.

Wing-suit flying, car stunts and airship destruction make up the extras which will fully complete regions.

As in previous instalments, there’s endless amusement to be had with your grapple. Yes you can attach animals and innocents to aircraft and watch them fly off across the horizon, but its customisable loadout adds helium lifters and rocket packs into the mix here. I make no apologies for giggling like an imbecile after attaching four rockets to a gentleman and watching him spin about before careering over a hill.

Look, there’s precious little depth here. Most of the missions involve paragliding between flipped switches, hacking terminals or annihilating ludicrous amounts of enemy militia while staying close to a terminal being hacked by someone else.

The gameplay may be shallow but this paddling pool is stuffed with tremendous toys.