Introduction: As its name suggests this latest Wii title from EA involves a fair amount of dancing. But just how this would work and complement its other features was a lot sketchier before launch. Now we have our hands on the game proper we can start to piece things together and see if they make sense as a cohesive whole.

This title is of particular interest for us Wii-ites as it represents a new franchise on the Wii for EA. Whilst they have previously provided some great control implementations with their existing games, this is the first time they have ventured out with something that is genuinely new and novel. Where their other sports focused games could fall back on their previous years of development work, a new title has to stand or fall entirely on its own merits. This is quite a gamble for EA; let's see how well they have managed to pull it off.

GamePlay: The game revolves about three main elements, dancing, singing and video creating. Each of the elements can be played in their own right, although to get the most out of the Boogie experience you really need to see all three working together.

Running through these different elements is the concept of developing and customising your dancer. At the start of the game you get to pick a character with whom you will be working for the duration. As you progress, you can then customise them with a whole host of different add-ons. This is really the forth element of the game and provides all sorts of dress-up fun if you are so included. Our little girl enjoyed picking out just the right hat and top for her on screen avatar. Whilst this can be seen as a little gimmicky, it certainly lets the younger player invest in what they are doing, and makes them willing to persevere at the later levels.

Control: The dancing takes the form of a rhythm action mechanic, but not exactly of the style we are used to from other titles such as Dance Dance Revolution or Elite Beat Agents. Whereas those classic games have a direct correlation between the music and user movement, Boogie blurs this relationship somewhat. The dancing can largely be achieved by tapping or waving the Wii-mote roughly in time with the current tune. This loosening up of the controls may well frustrate the hard-core dance gamer (if there is such an entity) who is used to the stringent rules of hits and misses, but it will be welcomed with open arms by families and parents. It means that whilst you can take advantage of advanced techniques as you progress, you can still throw the game at your four year old (not literally) and have them stand a fair chance of having some fun with it.

The dancing is more straight forward. A microphone is provided, although strangely this is of the wired variety. You need to grope around the back of your Wii and plug it into a USB port. Apart from that it seems to work pretty well, and the cable is certainly long enough to accommodate most living rooms, unless you live in a palace. The singing then progresses much like the SingStar games. You have to sing the notes at the right time and in the right pitch range to score maximum points.

The video editing takes the vocal and dance performances, and lets you edit them together into your own audio-visual mash-ups. There are a wide range of effects and filters available and you can quite quickly, and easily, produce something that looks pretty good. There is plenty of late night hilarity for after the pub as well, as you hear back just how bad you sang that last song.

Graphics: Visually, Boogie provides a unique experience. Its art style and general pizzazz mean that it stands out from the crowd. Each of the dancers has not only their own look, but unique movements that work together to imbibe them with plenty of character.

The whole game has been drenched in the bright primary coloured disco lights of the 80's and who are we to argue. The disco dancing theme is then extended to some of the environments and stages in which you dance. All in all these are some of the best visuals we have seen for some time on the Wii.

Sound & Music: Obviously, being a dancing and singing game the music is kind of important. We were a little less impressed here and would have liked a better range of songs on offer. There were not that many that our youngest could pick up, and some that we probably wouldn't have wanted her to sing the lyrics too. Other than that, the music is well performed and bright. The explanatory voice work was clear and not too obtrusive and added more of a human face to the experience.

Final Comments: This is a game that is aimed squarely at the party and casual gamer. To that end if you are looking for a serious dancing game you probably need to look elsewhere. If, however you want something to enjoy with the kids on raining autumn afternoons then you could a lot worse than picking up EA latest baby, boogie.

Pro: Easily accessible gameplay, fun for all ages.
Con: Wider music selection and more in depth gameplay would flesh out the experience.
Final Score: 7.8

Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews