During the formative years of most of GamesRadar's veteran staff, games like Disney's Ducktales and Aladdin were often amazingly polished and fun, in spite of their obvious kid appeal. But somewhere along the line this changed, and cartoon-licensed games started aiming squarely at the rugrats. Good for them, but older game fans were left out.
This is why THQ's upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender is rather interesting. While it's not akin to the best of those old games, it's a very capable, somewhat simplified Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance clone that tosses BG:DA's addictive action into an easier-to-understand package. Call it the middle-of-the-road approach, or a step in the right direction. Whatever it is, it's a lot cooler than yet another lame-o Curious George platformer.
The source material for Avatar: The Last Airbender comes from the anime-looking adventure cartoon of the same name that's ripping up the kiddy charts at Nickelodeon. In its world of elemental powers, only one person, the Avatar, can wield all four, and it falls to them to save the world in times of crisis. However, the Avatar went missing for 100 years, and only now have they been found in the form of 12 year-old Aang. With the Fire Nation making war, only Aang and his young, element-bending friends can turn the tide.
