Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

They say that variety is the spice of life and that is certainly the approach that Activision has adopted, with six playable characters and a number of different gameplay styles to try. The problem with Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is that few of these options are actually enjoyable or challenging to play.

The game does do a reasonable job of bringing the movie to life and is aesthetically pleasing, with each character animated with gloriously bright colours and the landscape looking as fun as the film. However, the fight to rescue Sid, after an attempt to adopt three dinosaur eggs sees him kidnapped by their real mother, is far too easy with on-screen prompts guiding you through each level. It's a sad case of style over substance.

It is ironic that the storyline focuses on rescuing an overprotective mother, as the game itself acts like one – holding your hand tightly through too many levels and leaving you desperate to escape and explore. Not only does a swirling wind guide you down the right path to follow, but flashing buttons pop up at opportune moments to tell you what and when to press. It dumbs down the experience to the point of infuriation.

It's a shame, because some of the characters are actually great fun to play. Yet the majority of enjoyable levels are not found until the second half of the game, with hours of repetitive, dull gameplay first. In one early level, Sid needs to tidy up a playground, a job that requires all work and no fun. It isn't exactly thrilling. Fortunately, the game improves dramatically with the introduction of Buck's action-packed levels and loosens its grip on your hand a little, but this is too late in the short story mode.

Buck is just about the saving grace of this game, his lasso being the most fun tool to play with. It can be used to swing from tree to tree, uproot plants and whip attackers. There are also some fun moments with Scrat, whose 2D levels are reminiscent of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sid, when he is forced to roll home his dinosaur eggs, but these moments are all too fleeting. By the time the game lets you off the leash, it is too late. Variety may be the spice of life, but it cannot disguise the slightly bitter taste of Ice Age 3.