Monster House

Games which are based on movie licenses, especially those aimed at children, are usually slapped together affairs that feature poor production values and insultingly simple gameplay. Monster House, based on the recently released Sony Pictures movie of the same name, manages to rise about this trend, feeling more like a legitimate game rather than a rushed tie-in.

Developer A2M should be commended for actually taking advantage of the DS' unique features for this version of the game. Rather than pumping out a simplistic port, Monster House DS supports both the stylus and the dual-screens resulting in a control scheme that is both intuitive--you use the directional pad to move and the stylus to shoot--and fun.

The graphics may disappoint wide-eyed fans who were wowed by the buttery smooth visuals of the movie but they get the job done. The game's audio is fairly weak, consisting mainly of a looping soundtrack of creepy atmospheric music and little else. There is also fair amount of repetition as the game never really strays from the "enter room and shoot the monsters" formula but there is enough action here to keep most junior gamers happy. And the fact that you're armed with water guns which have to pump up with the stylus only adds to the juvenile fun.

Monster House DS won't appeal to gamers who are accustomed to more intricate fare like Resident Evil but anyone who still feels a little tingle down their spine whenever they walk past the run-down old house on the corner will enjoy

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