| Jackie Chan. Legend. Jackie Chan Adventures . Not. This console version of the popular Saturday morning kids cartoon of the same name does not deserve to disgrace the name of Jackie Chan in the way it does. A cell-shaded adventure game in the same graphical style as the most recent in the Zelda series, with gameplay similar to Indiana Jones: The Empereor's Tomb , this abysmal game is blatantly cashing in on the name of Mr Chan. With classics such as Rumble in the Bronx under his belt, and the aforementioned kids cartoon bringing his name to a new generation, you would expect Jackie Chan Adventures to live up to the kung-fu master's high standards. But in all honesty, Jackie Chan features nowhere within this game. He doesn't even provide the voice for himself! And the less said of the random Mr Miyagi cum Yoda hybrid with a fishing rod the better! Starting out in San Francisco, Jackie Chan is setting out around the world in search of Talismans at the request of his uncle. Once collected, each Talisman provides Jackie with ‘special powers'. The Rooster Talisman, for example, confers our high-kicking hero with the ability to do some sort of strange double jump. Being fundamentally a platform game with a little beat-em-up thrown in, the levels quickly become tedious. This game falls into the awful trap of providing obstacles and puzzles that follow absolutely no sensible form of logic! And once you figure out the bizarre solution to one riddle (of course I had to pick up the stick and set it on fire to burn down that oh-so-thin curtain that I couldn't just brush aside!) then that will probably not be the same answer next time the same situation occurs (next curtain, pick up stick, walk to fire, stick refuses to burn). And that is assuming the camera will allow you to even see what's going on. It has a tendency to revert to the most awkward angle at the most inappropriate times. This, coupled with the dodgy logic of the ‘puzzles', and a hundred other minor annoyances, means that there is little pleasure to be gained from playing this game. If you can grit your teeth and plough through it - one ninja-filled room after another (blow on them and they fall down) - then in a few hours you will reach the conclusion. | |  |
