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Activision’s latest Shrek title, developed by Shaba Games, is a full knock down drag out melee fighter. Up to four players can pick their favorite Shrek characters to battle it out in completely destructive 3D arenas.

The battle is viewed from slightly above the action, and players aren’t tethered to each other in any way, leaving you free to run away quickly at any time. Each character has weak attacks, strong attacks, and throws, and you’re able to grab not only other characters but tons of background objects like chairs and pool tables. You’ll also be able to pick up various weapons that appear, like the fairy launcher or a giant ham to beat people with. Your strong attack can be charged for more power, and weak attacks are used to start combo chains, which vary from character to character. Each character has his or her own fighting style of course, -- not that Donkey could fight much like Prince Charming anyways.

One of the most impressive parts about Shrek SuperSlam is the extreme destruction possible thanks to the Havok physics engine. As you knock each other about the room, you’ll smash tables apart, shred through stairways, and send towers crumbling. Plus, most stages have at least one background element that can cause larger changes in the level, such as a giant statue that, when destroyed, will leave a few eyeballs rolling around to be picked up and thrown at your opponents.

As you beat on your fellow fairy tale pals and blast through rooms, your character’s smash meter will build, and when it’s full, you’ll be able to execute a powerful and often hilarious smash attack. Smash attacks include Shrek’s cloud of gas called the "Green Storm" and Puss’s "Love Stun" which stops opponents in their tracks with his cute kitten eyes, giving him an opening to skewer them with his rapier.

Oddly enough, smash attacks are the crux of SuperSlam’s fighting system. Your characters don’t have life bars and you don’t need to knock anyone out of the ring. Instead, you have a set amount of time to pull off more smash attacks than your opponent. And, if you happen to be on the receiving end of a smash, a point will be deducted from your score. It’s certainly a different way to judge a match, and it definitely leads to some frantic rounds, as all four of you try to build up your smash meters and connect your attacks to as many opponents as possible.

There are also some more subtle maneuvers. You can perform tricks like wall attacks and mid-air dashes, or you can catch items thrown at you. If you get the timing right, you can also use your block move to deflect an item back at the person who originally chucked it at you. But what’s more is that they can still deflect it to send it your way again. If the two of you are skilled enough, the item will bounce back and forth ever more rapidly, getting hotter and hotter. Once it’s red hot, it will count as a smash attack against whoever finally gets hit by it.

When you’re on your own, you can participate in the mega-challenge mode, which features fifty mini-matches focusing on specific gameplay maneuvers. You might have to do some platform jumping over a fiery chasm or practice your grabbing and throwing moves by picking up gingerbread men to throw them into a fiery oven. As usual, the slightly twisted Shrek humor prevails throughout.