Most games that Disney rolled out of their sleeve for the cube were, to put it mildly, dreadful and uninspired. Add up the reputation of movie licensed games, whom always seem to suffer from deadlines, and you know that another potential disaster is on its way with Disney's latest videogame called Finding Nemo. No doubts the movie will do well here in Europe, but can Disney get rid of its beforehand stigma and produce a quality title?

Graphics:

Always a strong point of Disney is the creativity in their visuals and Finding Nemo is no exception. The various cut scenes approach the quality of the movie easily and, as expected, are clearly more colourful then the in-game graphics. But the latter is done adequate enough to create the atmosphere of the movie.

Although menus aren't the most important elements of a videogame, these ones are rather simplistic and, even worse, somewhat illegible. Signal number one that the game had a too short deadline. One nice petite touch is that when you select a level, a flock of fish is shaped into some kind of object that reflects the main theme of that level. It's a small detail and has nothing to do with the gameplay, but it's the little things that count.

Sound:

Most of the audio has been extracted right out of the animated picture and that is one of the few benefits a 'movie-game' instantly has; recognisable sound effects, music and voices. And there are plenty of those in this game, as there are many cut scenes with authentic dialogue. The soundtrack consists of your typical feel-good Disney background music that adds a little to the experience. Some tunes might even stick in your head after a while.

Gameplay:

Finding Nemo is a combination of 2D and 3D underwater action in a constant 3D setting where most of the time you'll be either chased by an enemy or you'll have to cross some hostile environment filled with squids, crabs, mines and, of course, sharks.

First thing that you will notice is the fairly long loading times and this is especially a letdown for the younger and usually impatient gamers, for which the game initially is designed.

The first couple of levels are more or less tutorials but slowly the difficulty increases. The difficulty isn't linear though, as some of the later levels can be a walk in the park compared to levels you just managed to finish a little earlier. The tile puzzles in the game are a nice idea indeed, but frustrating and certainly not appropriate for your average eight-year-old.

The game diversifies action and movie scenes in a perfect balance, with the remark that if you haven't seen the movie yet you better want to visit the cinema first, because the scenes contain many spoilers.

Controls:

Finding Nemo is an easy game to learn, as all Disney games are, and controlling your char consists of only two buttons. There is an acceleration button and an action button, which is usually needed when a question mark is shown near Nemo or one of his friends. You will spend most of the time using your control stick, dodging enemies and twisting and turning your way through the mystique yet dangerous ocean.

Lifespan:

The game is definitely appealing enough to try and finish it, which will take a roughly 4 to 6 hours. There are no multiplayer modes, but you can occupy yourself with the many mini games and extra levels you can unlock, and these can keep you busy for quite a while if you want to finish the game 100%.

Final Say:

Disney again asked the aid of another developer/publisher, which worked very well with Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure. In this case THQ and developer Traveller's Tale could not deliver a superb title, it's frustrating at certain points, while other gameplay is sloppy executed. It's not that Finding Nemo isn't worth playing, the fact that there aren't too many of these underwater adventures works in its advantage and the developers did a respectable job on bringing the movie to consoles, enough to enjoy the game most of the time.