Given the recent successes of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, movie licensing for C. S. Lewis' beloved The Chronicles of Narnia was inevitable. As is the obligatory video game. Review scores for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe are all over the map, and while the game's looks are befitting of a Disney title, one has to wonder how much bandwidth the Mouse House afforded its developer, Traveller's Tales (LEGO: Star Wars).
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IGN (83/100) praised the high production values and level diversity: %uFFFDIt bucks nearly every trend when it comes to movie-based videogames by offering a polished, well-designed adventure. The stages themselves offer great variety. It looks good, plays well and keeps things fresh by offering a slew of different play styles.%uFFFD
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Yahoo! Games (80/100) was big on Narnia%uFFFDs combo moves, 2-player ability, and overall aesthetics: %uFFFDEasily one of the game%uFFFDs greatest strengths is its superb graphics. Complimenting the visual splendor of the game is a fitting music soundtrack and voice talent from the real British actors in the movie.%uFFFD
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GamePro (70/100) liked the authenticity of the film translation and responsive controls, but cited a few inconsistencies in game play: %uFFFDThe difficulty can leap to disproportionate heights in a few odd places, and sometimes it can be difficult to realize what needs to be done in order to advance.%uFFFD
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GameSpy (60/100) also admired the looks and sounds of the game, but was less enthusiastic about the training missions and weak A.I.: %uFFFDChronicles%uFFFD gameplay is packed with so much potential, but can be bogged down with some issues that really damper the experience. The ally A.I. is spotty, at best. When you really need help, you get none.%uFFFD
As movie-themed games go, The Chronicles of Narnia certainly warrants a look. How much of a look will depend on your level of fascination with the source material.
