Monsters Inc., Scare Island

Age Group: Age 8-up
Type: Arcade
Price: $30

PC version requires:
Windows 95+, P266, 32MB RAM, 30MB HD, 8x CD ROM, 16 bit sound, DirectX 8, 8MB video, 16 bit color

Description:

Join Sully and Mike in this 3D romp through the Monsters Inc. world as they practice scaring kids in their never ending quest to become the perfect scare team. Scare Island is the site of the training camp where all the action takes place. By collecting cannisters of ooze, Mike and Sully will be able to generate all the scare tactics they need, but watch out for those toys, they can be hazardous to your training!

The controls are keyboard only, but don't worry, the well-designed tutorials will enable kids to pick these up easily. After completing the tutorials, it's on to the training fields where players will choose either Mike or Sully. Each of the three training fields are divided into four regions, which can be accessed simultaneously in the respective training fields. To "clear" each region, a certain number of Nerves (the robotic children) must be scared and tokens collected. Powerups are also available, such as the ability to use trampolines and pick up speed arrows and "flingshots". To open up more secret areas, Randall is always ready to race once you've gotten all the Bronze medals in a training field.

Features:

• Play as Mike or Sully from Monsters, Inc.
• 3D arcade action
• Tutorials
• Keyboard controls only
• Movie clips
• 3 training fields with 4 regions each
• Win bronze, silver and gold medals by scaring Nerves

Technical Aspects:

Gameplay is strictly keyboard only, which can be a plus or minus depending on your preferences on game controls. For these type games, I and my daughter find we prefer using a gamepad rather than a keyboard and were disappointed that option wasn't available. While using the keyboard for specific tasks like jumping, scaring or other things wasn't a hardship, using the arrow keys for movement was awkward for us.

Report and Conclusions:

Scare Island compares favorably in most respects, with only a few detractions. For my family, the lack of a gamepad option was a slight annoyance. However, the gameplay isn't difficult and movement doesn't have to be exact. The environments are very well-done,with plenty of challenges and action to please most players. Even so, while the engine and gameplay are very similar to other recent Disney arcade games, for some reason it just doesn't seem to have quite the charm of 102 Dalmations or The Emperor's New Groove. Other than that, though, this is a nicely designed game that should offer hours of gameplay for your family.