We report back with our impressions of Sega's upcoming Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Find the full skinny here.

The mini-game compilation title is already a well-established genre on the Wii. Major titles such as Mario Party, Wii Play and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves have already seen release - and that's just naming a few of Nintendo's own. Even Wii Sports, free with every Wii. It begs the question why another is needed, though Sega have taken the official Beijing 2008 licence and used it to make an enjoyable title.

A wide variety of mini-games is broken down into about ten categories - athletics, for example, contains a number of different race options (100m, hurdles, etc.). Each category makes use of the Wii-mote and Nunchuck in a number of different ways. From the pumping of the controllers to keep your character racing around the track, to the precision of keeping your bow and arrow on target in Archery. The latter is a good example of where this title does require some skill. Players must combat the wind and line up their shot exactly to land a bulls-eye hit, something that does need practice.

There's a good range of games on offer, with everything from clay pigeon shooting (which I found infuriatingly difficult) to trampolining (probably my favourite of all the games). The former is reminiscent of the Duck Hunt-esque level of Wii Play, though far tougher. You must line up your on-screen cursor at the start of the event exactly and fire a test shot to gain the best sized cursor - a miss and you'll be trying to hit clay pigeons with a minuscule reticule. When trampolining, you begin by building height by crouching down and jumping up holding the Wii-mote, emulating your character's jumps on screen. This is followed by you performing tricks by a ever-lengthening series of button combos and Wii-mote flicks - which gets increasingly frantic in the limited time you get to complete each sequence while in the air between jumps. A lot of fun.

I was playing the title largely against other people, which undoubtedly added to my enjoyment. I did play one round of fencing against the computer and had to stop half-way through as the computer player was basically just standing there waiting to get hit by me. I can't comment on how this relates to the rest of the mini-games, though this was in one of the initially-unlockable events. As you progress through each game you unlock different events and categories of events which raise in skill level, culminating in the dream competition mode, which includes a trick-filled death-defying 10,000m sky plunge.

The game's minigames can be played in a large tournament mode of four set events, the aggregate scores of which are added up to see who is the overall champ. There's also a Challenge mode where players must play events and complete specific goals in various situations (think the Missions mode in Mario Kart DS or the Events mode of Smash Bros. Melee). And there's also a Gallery of other mini-games, (one of which I saw was a card game reminiscent of the Luigi casino mini-games in New Super Mario Bros.)

There's certainly plenty to do, and it has the pick-up-and-play ethic of games such like Wii Sports, though it will also require you to practice for each event. Its replayability is boosted by its large roster of sixteen characters, which are grouped into four groups depending on their skill levels. Think Mario Kart, and how each player and kart has its strengths and weaknesses. A lot of it is common sense - you wouldn't choose weedy-armed Princess Daisy to perform the hammer throw, as beefier characters like Bowser or Dr. Eggman are far more suited. Each handles slightly differently, and you'll need to get used to characters from all classes to beat those records. Additionally, you can also import Mii characters into the game as well - a feature added late into the game (and not in the screenshot of the Character Select screen above).

The game comes with pre-programmed records which are then beaten and replaced by you (and your mates), and can then be uploaded on to Sega's servers. When booting up the game for the first time you are asked which country you are representing, and a nice touch is that your scores go forward to represent your country. Want to be the best in England so your score can rival the rest of the world? You better get practising.

Visually, the game is generally crisp and full of life. Stadium screens display the event in progress in the background, the characters are well animated and the graphics are constantly smooth. There's a very nicely done slow-motion replay for the end of races (which is often much needed, as I often found myself winning or losing by a hair's breadth). The crowd viewed at close-up range is a little ropey, but when you're dealing with a stadium filled with over a thousand spectators, its not to be unexpected. Music-wise I heard no familiar Mario or Sonic themes, but you'll be too busy to notice the music. Voices are provided by their usual artists, with Charles Martinet's usual lilting Italian tones once more issuing from Mario's mouth.

Multi-playerwise the game encourages up to four players to jump in for events at any time. There's no online multiplayer, which is a shame, especially as the ability to play with gamers from other countries would have truly given the title that international competition feel. Nevertheless, I can see the title being a firm party favourite. It's taken decades, but Mario and Sonic are now together. They should do it more often.

- Tom "Tphi" Phillips