If you have not seen the movie or read the book, you can get a Cliffs Notes version through this movie-based game obviously designed for the much younger crowd. You have the opportunity to play the child characters from the film as they escape WWII and find the magical world of Narnia in a peculiar wardrobe contained in one of many rooms of the estate they are staying in the English countryside. You will learn of the evil White Witch who enchants the land with her wicked spells and of the heroic lion named Aslan who leads the good creatures of Narnia against these dark forces. While I found the game rather tedious, my three-year-old son was quite enthralled, and enjoyed watching me play. So, I won't win parent of the year but, hey, I had a job to do. (And my son enjoyed it).
The game is a basic, level-based game that takes you through the entire Disney movie, giving you goals to achieve at each level followed by a connecting scene from the film. It's almost like finishing a chapter of a book. You will spend most of your time finding items, hiding from various monsters, or actually fighting monsters. I was immediately impressed with the graphics of the cut scene which shows the bombing of London at the beginning of the film. You will then dive right into the movie and begin playing it. The game play itself is fairly easy to pick up, which makes sense, as most players will be youngsters and won't have the dexterity yet to handle a more complex game. The game also does a good job of giving in-game tutorials and hints about what to do and what buttons to press.
Throughout the game you will be able to use any four of the main characters, each with special skills and strengths. It doesn't take long to figure out how best to use the group in the most effective manner. The levels are not very hard, and they are scattered with special bonus objects and coins, which can be picked up and turned in for special skills that can be used by your characters during the course of the game.
The graphics of the game are very solid, which I would expect from a Disney licensed game. As I mentioned, the cut scenes are done very well, but even better, the game uses actual scenes from the movie to introduce or conclude levels of the game which tie the whole story together. The movie scenes use the letter box style, which I also thought was very good. The sound is fair, as there are no problems with it, but it doesn't offer anything special.
Overall, I would say that this game would be enjoyed by the fans of the book or film. More discerning gamers would find the game more of an exercise than actual gaming enjoyment. In the past, I have noted my disdain for games based on movies, so I may be acting a bit judgmental, but I just don't find a lot to be excited about with this title. Unless you are a big fan, I would say this is a rental at best
I’m a married professional with a 2 year old son and a baby on the way. I’ve played game for what seems like my whole life. Intellivision, Activision, Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, etc. After college I got away from gaming but a friend at work got me into the PC gaming world and I was hooked all over again. Mostly now I just play PS2. I would say that I am an average gamer when it comes to RPG’s but when it comes to Sports games I can compete with most people. I love gaming ok. There I said it
