Rat Attack

It's titles like Rat Attack that give kids' games a bad name. The multiplayer capabilities almost make this one worth keeping around -- but that's a strong "almost."

It's titles like Rat Attack that give kids' games a bad name. The multiplayer capabilities almost make this one worth keeping around -- but that's a strong "almost."

You Dirty Rats
The concept is appropriately simple. Catch the rats. That's it. The mind-numbing repetitiveness of the game quickly shows itself. There are over twelve different types of rats that you can "eraticate," but it wouldn't matter if there were a hundred. Once you've got the game down, it's pure boredom ahead. Unfortunately, there are fifty "different" levels in the game.

Once in a while, the game tries to offer a little change-up - allowing you to electrocute the rats or mow them down with a lawn mower, for example, or you can save up coins use your cat's special move. But then it's back to the constantgrind of catching the rats and moving on to the next frightfully similar level.

The multi-player mode provides entertainment for a bit, mostly thanks to the confusion that results. Since you and the other players' cats look surprisingly like the rats, you'll often end up chasing your opponents down and attempting to "e-caticate" them or something equally unclever.

The Rat's Meow
In addition to getting confused between rat and cat during play, the game often uses weird camera angles that make it hard to get your bearings and find the nearest rat. The graphics aren't bad - how bad can you make a simple game like this? But they're nothing to get worked up about either.

The sound effects are the best part of this game. The rats die in wonderfully loud and shrill manners, which you would really appreciate if you ever lived in New York City. If you picture the Backstreet Boys as the squeaking rats being captured or demolished it adds to the enjoyment immensely.

Controlling your cat - when you've finally figured out which character is yours- is straight-forward enough, but the whole capturing device is extremely awkward. You've got to create an expansive hoop that snaps back to grab any rats in its perimeter when you release it, but handling the hoop is annoying at best.

Rat-a-tat-tat
A few months from now, when you see this game staring out at you from the bargain bin, just ignore it. Turn and walk away. You'll thank us.

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