The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Xbox 360 review

Full Review

So you've read the book, seen the film, and now want to immerse yourself in the video game, but is this just yet another poor movie tie-in? We get swashbuckling to find out.

Set 1300 years after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the Pevensie Children must battle against an evil King and help Prince Caspian win his rightful crown.

Developed by Traveller’s Tales, the chaps behind the Lego Star Wars and more recently the Lego Indiana Jones video games, Prince Caspian takes a similar spin on the movie and allows you to play up to 20 characters from the film in a series of missions as you make your way through the storyline of the movie.

Like Lego Star Wars you can switch between characters using their different skill sets to complete set tasks and a second player can join in at any time in co-op mode by picking up another controller, although the gameplay doesn't change that much in response.

Similar to Lego Stars Wars the levels revolve around a single room with you then choosing the way to complete the four sub-missions that make up the level.

With four characters (from the film of course) in your party, all with different traits and skills - these range from being nimble to brawn - you can tackle the mission at hand. However we found the sub-missions incredibly repetitive normally involving you to do the same thing three times over before victory is claimed.

In an attempt to make it a bit more exciting you can pick-up bonus weapons and skills on the way. Alternatively you can spend hours hacking into the seemingly never-ending supply of baddies that never really get involved or are part of the plot, but for the most part it is rather dull.

Verdict

Graphics are average for the Xbox 360 rather than stunning and overall this is a game that is unlikely to challenge thanks to the simple puzzles and simplistic gameplay.

Unfortunately, for us, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Xbox 360 isn't as appealing as the Lego series, probably because the subject doesn't offer as much appeal and the cuteness of the Lego has been removed.

If you are looking for something for the kids that won't shut up about wanting to be one of the Pevensie family this will keep them quiet for a weekend, however for the rest of us stick to Traveller’s Tales’ other titles - they are good fun and promise a nostalgia trip at the same time.

• Comment on this story for your chance to win a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe