Shrek 2 continues the adventures of everybody's favorite ogre and his donkey

sidekick. This time they're travelling to the land of Far, Far Away to meet the parents of Shrek's lady love, Princess Fiona. However, Fiona's father and a nasty Fairy Godmother are out to make sure that this story doesn't end with a "Happily Ever After". In the end, Shrek 2 adds enough twists to the traditional 2-D platformer concept to provide a thoroughly enjoyable fairy tale.

Shrek 2 is divided into five "storybooks" with five levels apiece, but just because Shrek is the star of the show doesn't mean you'll guide him through every level. Along the way you'll control Donkey, Puss in Boots, and Gingerbread Man. Each character has his own strengths and weaknesses. Shrek has strong attacks but can't jump very high, while Gingerbread Man has great jumping ability but weak attacks. Puss in Boots uses his cat claws to cling to walls, while Donkey can smash through them with a donkey kick.

These abilities are required to solve puzzles in each level. Some levels have you switching between three characters at once, using all of their abilities in concert to get up, over and around obstacles. You can also control up to three characters in unison (provided they're all on the same

screen), adding a level of depth not found in many platformers. Players are routinely required to backtrack through levels to clear areas they've just opened, or complete a task with one character so another character can advance elsewhere in the level. This mechanic changes things up just enough to keep each level fresh and interesting. Fans of the SNES classic The Lost Vikings will feel right at home with Shrek 2.

Additional gameplay elements include mini-games and collecting coins. Each of the five characters has his own mini-game,

accessed by finding a Leprechaun hidden in a remote part of each level. These games are simple and fun, requiring you to master each

character's individual control technique. There are also forty gold coins to collect per level. Some gamers hate collecting items, but in this case it isn't excessive and it serves a purpose - finding all the coins adds the mini-games to the main menu. That's a nice little bonus.

However, Shrek 2's design is not without its flaws. For starters, switching between characters isn't as smooth as it should be. The game's camera moves left or right until it reaches the chosen character, often

resulting in an unnecessary "fly-by" of the level if characters are far apart. Instantly switching the view would have been much more efficient. Gameplay would also benefit from having a checkpoint in the middle of each level; as it stands, dying at the end of a level forces you to restart from the very beginning, which becomes frustrating as levels get longer and

harder.

Controlling three characters at once can also be tricky. Faster characters outpace slower characters, making the timing of group jumps a difficult proposition. Since players must use this feature in several levels, it would have made sense to tweak the controls a little more and have all characters "locked in" a little tighter. The control scheme is generally tight otherwise.

Shrek 2's graphics are impressive. Backgrounds and levels are detailed and

colorful, staying true to the fairy-tale kingdoms the Shrek movies are known for. Locales range from forests and swamps to castles and dungeons, with the occasional battle on top of a giant Gingerbread Man thrown in for good measure. The story is explained via amusing in-game text dialogue and excellent still scenes that really capture the look and feel of the movie.

Unfortunately, the framerate drops a bit when the camera has to move quickly (e.g. when a character falls down for a long distance); this doesn't affect gameplay, but it's noticeable nonetheless.

Character sprites are fluidly animated with a lot of personality. For example, each character performs a signature animation when left idle. Shrek scratches his butt, Gingerbread Man plays his candy cane like a

guitar, and Donkey makes his famous lip-popping sound. Each character also features vocal samples taken directly from the film; when Shrek is selected, he exclaims "Okay!" in Mike Myers' classic Scottish accent. Besides being utterly hilarious, details like these show that Vicarious Visions really went the extra mile to ensure that the spirit and humor of the movie wasn't

lost in the transition to the GBA screen.

Shrek 2 the GBA game is a lot like Shrek 2 the movie: it's geared towards kids, but can be appreciated by adults as well. It's not incredibly difficult (the boss battles are especially easy), but it's not frustrating

either and is enjoyable all the way through. I don't usually expect much

from games based on movie licenses, but Shrek 2 impressed me. If you're looking for a solid puzzle-platformer, Shrek 2 should be right up your alley.