Shop around online and you’ll be able to pick up LittleBigPlanet for a little over a tenner. For a game of such inventiveness, infinite expandability and unalloyed brilliance it’s the bargain of the flipping millennium! However, if you really must pay more for the privilege of playing Media Molecule and Sony have just announced a special ‘Game of the Year’ edition.

The new variant launches in the US on September 8th. There’s plenty in the box to tempt and tantalise too – 18 of the very best fan-created levels, seven previously download-only add-ons (including the Monster, Metal Gear Solid, History and Animal costume packs) and, of course, a full copy of the game itself.

On top of all that a limited number of copies will include a code inviting access to a beta test for ‘ModNation Racers’. If that name tinkles a distant bell, the game was one of the stars of Sony’s E3 presentation and it shares much of LBP’s spirit in giving players the tools to create, race and share content online. Needless to say it looks the bizniz too.

In short the latter alone justifies any extra outlay, although it seems a little unfair that newcomers should be afforded such an opportunity when it is not being extended to LBP’s existing (and loyal) fanbase. But maybe Sony will do something to correct that soon. Likewise news of a European release for the GOTY edition would be nice...