Barnyard review

Fortunately, the minigames are fun and often put a nice spin on the games they're mimicking: pool is played on a table shaped like a boat, with gophers substituting as putters - a move which transforms the normally sedate act of golfing into a frenzied race to sink the ball. There are even varied, quest-like missions that employ you to chase this or track down that.

But they're all too simple. So simple, in fact, that you'll have little trouble blowing through this game in a couple days, tops. Even preteens will find few of these games challenging. That's when Barnyard begins to wear out its welcome. Seeming to be nothing more than a collection of minigames and quests, it grows repetitive and tiresome.

Then, something interesting happens. As you progress, it begins to reveal its depths, taking on the movie's plot. Now, obviously, this is to be expected in a film-based game, but this progressive, seemingly episodic manner creates unexpected depth when moving from minigames to plot-oriented missions.

Visually, Barnyard textures its world with deceptively detailed characters and environments, retaining the film's brightly colored and stylized look. Unfortunately, the sound department doesn't bode so well. We're treated to the same three or four obnoxious themes because music is in short supply. And the dialogue doesn't fare any better. The game gives us brief bits of spoken dialogue - usually short sentences - followed by long stretches of silence while we continue to read dialogue-heavy text.