Ratatouille: Cheese Rush

There's no shortage of groans from reviewers when it comes to licensed games, and movie tie-ins are generally the worst of the bunch. Attempting to cram some semblance of film-related characterisation and storyline into a game is generally a recipe for disaster, but in this case, the plot of the movie takes a welcome back seat to the dynamic, invigorating mouse racing action on offer.

Ratatouille: Cheese Rush is exactly how we'd expect a remote controlled mouse to handle – if such a thing existed. The first aspect that's particularly noticeable about this game is the same thing that makes it such a smile inducing joy to play: the inertia-driven mouse mechanics.

Now there's a line we never expected to write. Still, that's precisely what lifts Cheese Rush from the doldrums of digitally controlled mobile racing games, and ensures the dubious movie tie-in element is immediately forgiven and forgotten.

Taking physical control of Remy (the rodent who put the 'rat' in Ratatouille), it's your task to guide him around a variety of lengthy mazes featuring (not that it matters) scenes from the film, hurriedly following the ever-dissipating scent of some form of fine cheese.

The 'scent' meter gradually decreases as Remy goes on the hunt, and once it's lost, so is the aspiring mouse chef's dreams of dairy goodness. But by picking up the trail of crumbs that lead the way to a ripe wheel of cheddar, gorgonzola, Emmental, Monterey Jack, Caerphilly and all manner of other tasty provender, the scent remains strong and the rat happy.

As is typical for mobile racers, Remy doesn't need any action from the player to run – he simply keeps going at a breakneck pace and it's up to you to guide him around the obstacles and in hot pursuit of the scent. A brake is included, which adds a superb function of handbrake turns (assuming mice are equipped with handbrakes – we're no biologist, but we can't see why they wouldn't be) and careful cornering, trying to avoid any painful collisions with solid objects, odour-masking rotten vegetables or smelly old shoes along the way.

What makes this game so enjoyable is the dynamic motion of the main character, which emphasises a previously unnoticed rigidity of most car-based racing games. The liquid, organic handling of the flexible 'vehicle' here is quite superb, and once the later levels come along, powersliding him through wet patches and reversing down a maze become genuinely invigorating actions.

The controls, although simple, might prove a little tricky for the younger gamers who are naturally going to be drawn toward this title after watching the movie. A downward running mouse requires some level of mental agility as the controls reverse, but the game is good enough to ease players into the proceedings, so it's not a huge issue.

The difficulty levels are adjustable, though there seems to be a huge difference between Just Right and Too Easy (as the game terms them), with the latter being almost impossible to lose while the former is probably too harsh for said less mature players.

But the jaunty music, superior programming (which makes the game run impressively smoothly even on lower powered handsets) and addictiveness of the racing makes this a rarity among licensed games, and worthy of your hard earned Roquefort.