Introduction: Ratatouille (rat-a-too-ee) is a rather bizarre game. At first glance, it looks like your below average film to game conversion, trying to suck some money out of unwitting parents. However, if you venture past the idea that all film to game conversions are poor, you'll find a decent game underneath. With plenty of game styles to keep you entertained, it's a nice game for young and (slightly) older gamers alike.

GamePlay: There are plenty of gameplay features in 'Ratatouille' to keep younger gamers interested. Whether its platforming, rafting down rivers, sneaking past angry cats and dogs, or sliding down pipes, whatever you enjoy to do is probably encapsulated in this game. The levels switch constantly between the different styles, which is a very good idea to keep the game fresh for longer. Plus, within those game styles are whole different types of levels. For example, after running around for a while, you'll find a pile of garbage. If you want to, you can then enter the bizarre but wonderful dream worlds. Suddenly, you're in a world filled with falling, twirling and moving foodstuffs which you must navigate across.

One of the earlier levels sees you in a world filled with fruit, and you must navigate the rotating orange slices, or the floating kiwis to reach your goal. Alternatively, some levels see you attempting to make a fantastic stew by using the wiimote to grab different ingredients. However, the different levels can make for a curse as well as a blessing. Sometimes, the balancing of the difficulty doesn't quite match up. You could be playing a rather easy platforming mission, and suddenly be plunged into a very tricky fruit world. When you beat that level, you'll be placed back into the easy missions again. This is no major thing for older gamers, but younger children might get a bit frustrated.

Although the game itself is fairly short and should take the average gamer no longer than a weekend to complete, there are a fair few un-lockables to add to the replayability. For example, at the end of each level you are awarded with some points towards new game styles or concept artwork and other goodies. If you collect all the stars in a level, you get a nice bonus on top of this. Some of the purchasable features are rather nice, although I don't see why anyone would want to play the game again on really easy or really hard. There's also a chance to pick up some items dotted around the levels that give your sewer base a more homely feel, such as the darts which give your rats something to play.

Control: The controls are fairly simply and easy to use. You control Remy with the analogue stick, jump with A and waggle the wiimote to do a tail spin. However, there is some rather neat innovation. Holding Z and moving moves the camera in to just over your body, and Remy will run at a far quicker speed until you invariably knock into something. There is a real feeling of speed here, both with the view and the way you slide around corners. To turn the camera around, you'll have to hold down C and move the controller to one side of the screen or the other to rotate it that way.

This honestly isn't the best way to do such a simple thing, but it doesn't cause much frustration. So, overall, the controls are rather excellent. The developers have stayed well away from the movement controls that ruin other games, making playing Ratatouille far more streamlined and enjoyable.

Graphics: The graphics in the game are very nice. Each level has a very varied design, from the grungy sewers to the fantastical dream worlds. You can tell a lot of work has gone into some of the set pieces, with plenty of background stuff to add to the 'realism', although I use that term, when talking about a rat chef, lightly. For example, an urban street might have some upturned boxes, a bicycle, or some trash cans. You can jump on or around them, but they serve no purpose within the storyline or objectives, and this is great for adding to the atmosphere. That said, the actual graphics really don't stand out from some older games, and definitely look dated compared to other new games. Then again, it is on the Wii, and you're never left feeling disappointed by the graphics.

Sound & Music: There is nothing particularly special to note about the sound in general. It does its job well, but never stands out. The voices are of nice quality, although some of them can get annoying after a while. The voice acting is the same as in the film, which is a nice touch, however there is very little dialogue, which is a pity as the game had the ability to be quite humorous.

Final Comments: Although it is labelled as a children's game, older gamers might find some interest in it. It's a fairly standard platform that does what it's meant to do well, but doesn't provide any 'wow' moments. However, if you are a fan of the movies, this would be a fairly solid game for you to buy or rent.

Pro: Tons of different minigames. Nice level design. Simple and easy to play.
Con: Lack of innovation. Weird difficulty changes.
Final Score: 6.5



Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews