Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

If you are one of the many who love the film then you will be thrilled that Activision has brought Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs to the console. The result is an animated, fun-laden, varied, easy to play, visual delight that will particularly appeal to younger gamers.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs has six, mostly enjoyable, playable characters. Firstly there is Sid the sloth, whose initial exploits (collecting crystals for Ellie the mammoth) act as a tutorial. Then there are Scrat, Manny and Diego. Best of all is Buck, all action and more demanding, who arrives late in the game. Watch out for Buck’s lasso; mastering its possibilities is great fun!

The different gameplay styles on offer have been neatly shaped by the developers to suit the character being played at the time. The game starts slowly, but if you find the early parts rather tedious and lacking real challenge, don’t altogether despair, stick with it – the action steps up a gear in the second half.

The developers of Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs had younger gamers in mind when they intentionally made it an easy game to play. Consequently older, experienced gamers might well become frustrated by the tight guidance of the on screen prompts. Some interesting platforming action, however, provides some compensation.

The game includes fairly straight forward combat, exploration missions and of course collectables: you gather colour crystals, for instance, to unlock songs and movie clips.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a visual treat; the developers merit much praise for successfully adapting the movie to the console. The character animations are brilliantly coloured and well defined, with the action set in bright, fun landscapes that compliment the figures. The numerous cutscenes do not disappoint, and thankfully the visuals are not let down by the audio.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is about fun and variety, all in glorious colour: it is not a mind game or a technical challenge. Younger gamers and the many fans of the movie should give it a go.