Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Night at the Museum has just the sort of pleasingly bizarre plot you'd expect to find in a film starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan and Ricky Gervais - one which revolves around museum exhibits coming to life and a monkey making off with a magical tablet.

The game of the film isn't anywhere near as pleasingly bizarre, however. Granted it uses that same plot so there are plenty of witty exchanges between characters and the like, but, as a game, it couldn't be much more run-of-the-mill.

It tends to be that games based on TV series' and films are side-scrolling action affairs, and so it is with Night of the Museum. Taking control of lead character Larry Daley and tag-teaming with the troublesome Dexter the monkey, you carry out a series of objectives which take place across the Natural History Museum and then the National Air and Space Museum.

These objectives can involve anything from tracking down some hidden statues to escaping from a giant squid. The game rarely uses the same one twice, although there's a fair bit of flicking switches to start up elevators or open gates. It has variety, then, but it doesn't have much in the way of freedom.

Each section of each level is very compact, so there's not much room to divert off course. Most of the objectives are practically signposted for you, with arrows and flashing circles telling you where to go. But even when they're not, the solution to an objective is usually right in front of your face.

There are exceptions - a couple of the game's puzzles call for a spot of lateral thinking. How to get past a wide body of water for instance. (By using a giant turtle lying in a corner on its back.) There could do with being more of these moments, however.

As well as the puzzle-solving, there are enemies to fend off. These begin as birds swooping down at you and - if they hit you - knocking off some of your health, and later on they're Pharaoh's Soldiers, lions and a giant squid. Some are stunned with the whack of Larry's bat, while others have a health bar that needs knocking down.

There's not much depth to any of the combat, but it's fine, and there are bonus points for being able to pick up random items lying around - like pots and fire extinguishers - to lob at enemies' heads.

Playing levels as Dexter the monkey is much the same as playing as Larry, except Dexter is better at jumping and unable to strike out at enemies. His general nippiness allows you to duck past flaming cannonballs and swing across gaps using handily placed ropes.

There are other set-piece levels too - such as one where you're in control of a motorbike. Like practically every other bit of the game, it's fun enough, but not particularly challenging. The game is very on-the-rails and - a few stand-out moments aside - not that memorable.

Of course, if you love the film then you're likely to get a little more out of playing through the plot for yourself. All other gamers will find it perfectly playable and slick, but not all that enthralling.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Playing as Larry and Dexter from the film is enjoyable enough, but the action adventure on offer is a pretty standard trek from A to B. Albeit with witty dialogue and a handful of good challenges in between
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Kath Brice
Kath Brice
Kath gave up a job working with animals five years ago to join the world of video game journalism, which now sees her running our DS section. With so many male work colleagues, many have asked if she notices any difference.