I am not normally one for platform games and the 3+ certificate on the box gave me an idea of the age group that this is targeted towards.

Despite this I must admit, somewhat to my shame, that I was keen to have a go at this game. I have always gone out of my way to try and catch W&G’s adventures when they are given their obligatory showing on Christmas TV.

I loaded the game and was excited about getting stuck straight into a variety of cheese-orientated shenanigans. The intro to the game was just like watching W&G on the telly and merged straight into the game.

Obviously this means that the graphics were top notch, so much so I could have been forgiven in thinking that my PS2 had turned into a Gamecube!

I spent the next 20 minutes just running around, using the free-camera mode and generally soaking up what are truly the best cartoon graphics yet to be seen on the PS2. They really have managed to give the game the same claymation feel as we expect with W&G.

Does our canine friend hit the spot with Dr Leevil?

Trying not to give the plot away, W&G have rumbled a plan by the newly escaped Feathers McGraw which involves capturing most of the animals in the local zoo.

It is their job to set them free over six levels of gameplay. Within these 6 levels are 24 missions and 12 mini-games to keep you interested. The overall gameplay is good and Gromit is easy to control, despite having to change the camera angle sometimes.

I have seen reviews that say this game is too easy, and this may be true for some, but for someone who has not played a platform game for some time this game proved difficult enough to provide some challenge yet easy enough to progress at an interesting pace. Personally I think that the difficulty level has been reduced to help the younger age group that this game hopes to attract.

Most of the game involves taking Gromit through increasingly hard-to-navigate levels, dodging obstacles, jumping chasms and solving relatively straightforward (but not necessarily easy) puzzles. Standard platform fare.

Gromit can also kick arse too, having a variety of kicks and punches he can perform, whilst also being tooled up with a range of daft weaponry ranging from the banana cannon to the porridge gun.

At the end of each level is the obligatory boss which Gromit has to dispatch to progress to the next one. These bosses are great to look at, and can be challenging when you first meet them.

All in all I would say that this game is beautiful to look at but generally not the most exciting. I did enjoy seeing Gromit doing some kung-fu moves though.

Overall: 7 (9 if you are under 10)

Dr Leevil

GAME SCREENSHOTS