THE LION KING: SIMBA'S MIGHTY ADVENTURE (PSX)
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Platform frolics for all and sundry

By WILLIAM BARKER

With The Lion King being a favoured animated movie in the Anthony household, it was an impossible task fobbing off young creatures and their desires to play a Playstation game with Simba on the cover.

"Can we play now?" It wasn't really a question, more a statement of "If we don't play now we'll just keep at you and at you until you finally give up!"

"Later, I just need to …. "

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, but you said. But … you promised. But …we'll tell Mum."

"Alright, alright, alright. Fair enough. I give up. Just stop bleating."

Anyway, with earplugs firmly in place, it was time to sit in front of the tellie and spend a bit of time with Simba, the young hero lion of the Lion King, and his marvelous offsiders, Timon and Pumbaa.

Very much an arcade-platform mix, Simba's Mighty Adventure is a journey through various scenes from the original movie with varying levels of difficulty. You begin as a cub at Pride Rock and the task is to make your way to its peak before you run out of lives.

Along the way, you pick up points for collecting items - you need a minimum of 100 to go to the next level - and have to get yourself around all sorts of nasties that can slow your progress or make you lose your way and fall off a cliff.

From there you progress to the Graveyard scene, very platformish, and have to get around vultures and hyenas. The other levels are Stampede (wildebeest, holes and falling rocks being the dangers), Old Friends (porcupines and skunks), Return of the King, Fire, Rhino Charge, Outland Attack and Climb.

The controls are pretty easy - using the four main buttons to jump, roar - an effective weapon to weaken the nasties - climb, pounce and roll. While gameplay is relatively easy, it is not simplistic and you have your work cut out for you getting through.

The graphics scrub up pretty well and, aside from the occasional perspective problem - particularly in Stampede where you have to run towards the screen and don't get to see where the heck you are going - will keep the beasties purring through the game nicely.

Simba's Mighty Adventure is excellent for youngsters and rewards success by unlocking extra games with the wizard baboon Rafiki and these add new levels of entertainment.

"Can we play now, Dad?"

"No, go away, I'm having too much fun!"

ORIGINALITY 75%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 75%
PLAYABILITY 80%
ADDICTION 75%
ENJOYMENT 80%