As the Tintin franchise comes to the big screen so too does the inevitable video game tie-in. Ubisoft's The Adventures of Tintin: The Game is based on the upcoming film and they've even got Peter Jackson's backing, but just how does it play?

Tie-ins are notoriously mediocre, with many feeling rushed for the sake of making some money. WIth the explorative nature of Tintin it should theoretically make for a good game and from what I played this is going to be the case. The Adventures of Tintin: The Game may not win any game of the year awards but it is a fun game that will please fans of the franchise or anyone who enjoys platform titles.

The game primarily places you in the role of Tintin but the demo version I played included a number of different playable characters, which will also be available in the final game. Naturally I selected Tintin's dog, Snowy, and it played surprisingly well. The controls and actions available for Snowy had been specifically designed for him, such as the ability to bark and dig, rather than shoehorning a dog avatar in for the sake of saying "extra playable characters" are available.

One thing that caught me off guard, perhaps foolishly, was the animation. The dog ran smoothly but it was when he climbed up walls and ladders (as all dogs do) that it really shone. There was a certain characterful smoothness to it that really impressed me but perhaps this should not have been the case considering the relationship between Ubisoft and Paramount..

I was less impressed with another level however, one based on flying. You must initially escape out of a cave and then engage in an aerial dogfight and neither elements were particularly exciting. It all felt slow and cumbersome, particularly compared to the platforming levels. Hopefully these areas will either be improved or kept to a minimum.

One of the most interesting elements of The Adventures of Tintin: The Game is the 2-player mode, which allows you and a friend to work together through the game's levels. Alongside Tintin and the aforementioned Snowy you can play as Captain Haddock and hopefully some more of the iconic characters will be available in the final build.

What I played of The Adventures of Tintin: The Game impressed me. As discussed earlier it is hardly going to blow the gaming world away but it is a solid enjoyable game. Being child-friendly and being based on one of this year's biggest animated films will certainly help its sales but thankfully the game is worth playing. While playing it I likened it to Toy Story 3: The Game - it's not perfect but it's enjoyable and fans of the series will get a real kick out of it.