Video games have been a great source for movie spoilers. Star Wars, Lemony Snicket, The Lord of the Rings – each of those games featured movie clips that had not been seen before. Most movie-based games are released prior to the movie, thus giving gamers the chance to experience the journey before it hits theatres.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe has its share of movie clips and real-time sequences. High-quality clips that are better than most in picture quality, have excellent sound, and introduce you to the characters much more effectively than polygons. I can't say for certain how much of the film is spoiled since I haven't seen it yet. Based on the number of film clips that lead into real-time footage (and then gameplay), it seems to be a lot.

I can't go into specifics about the story except to say that the world of Narnia is in danger. Narnia is given a bit of hope when four siblings stumble upon a door that leads them there. The events that follow are really something, if not a little lighthearted. The spectacular visuals grabbed my attention instantly, both the film's and the game's. The gorgeous, snow-covered trees, detailed caves and impressive animations made it hard to take your eyes off the backgrounds.

The only major problem with the visuals is the character models. They look a bit lame when they appear immediately after a movie clip, which could've been fixed or at least improved with a motion blur or some kind of animated transition. It's the hard cut that makes the fact that you're controlling game characters and not the film's actors stand out.

Good or bad, graphics are just eye candy. The Chronicles of Narnia's gameplay is what matters most, even if it wasn't the first thing to get my attention.

Labeled an action/adventure, Narnia is a game of puzzles and linear levels. There are battles to be won against Minoboars, Minotaurs, Boggles and other creatures that do not exist in our world (at press time we were still calling it "Earth," though I'm actively petitioning to get it changed to "Midgar").

Hungry (or are they just angry?) wolves will come out of the shadows at the most inopportune times, but they're easy to deal with if Peter, one of the four siblings, is nearby. His strength makes him the ideal defenseman. His sisters, Susan and Lucy, have the advantage of quick attacks and being able to crawl through small spaces, respectively. Susan can throw tennis balls and other objects to break windows, throw snow to put out fires, etc. Lucy is so small and light she can hop on top of a snowball (a large snowball) and roll around. This makes her taller, allowing her to reach precious items that no one else was able to snatch.

These precious items are an important part of increasing the bond between the siblings. Acquire and sell coins/tokens to buy new moves and attacks. Some of the children can join hands to perform team moves that let you cross blocked areas. Edmund, the fourth child, is a master at climbing. Have him team up with Lucy and he'll become a master at shattering barriers.

There are times when the ice is too thick to shatter, thus you call in Peter and have him melt it. He can melt a lot of things, none of which are violent. All are restricted to whatever the developers intended. At some points you'll have to burn various objects to acquire an item or burn a tree so you can get through an area.

Narnia's multiplayer option lets a friend drop in on your game at any time. Reminiscent of old arcade games, the words "press start" are constantly fading in and out of the top of the screen. Do it and the second controller will be set to one of the characters. Both players can switch to control any character at any time as long as that character is not already being controlled. You can't share a character. That'd be weird.

Setting up a team move can leave you without any functions since one character is more or less the weapon. However, if you're playing as Peter, let Lucy ride on his back and one player can control the direction while the other attacks.

This is fun stuff, but Narnia's not perfect. The characters move rather slowly, and most of the missions involve tasks that are entertaining but not necessarily exciting. It's a more peaceful experience than other adventure games, which I'm sure many of you will love. Others undoubtedly will expect more action from the game and will walk away disappointed.

I also must point out that the camera is restricted and does not always show the best view. Menial tasks like pushing objects are acceptable, however, I would have preferred that they scrap the trial-and-error tasks. Crossing icy water isn't fun when one mistake means you have to do it all over again. I know that it seems like you can't make gamers happy when we say, "Make it challenging, make us die! But don't make us do anything twice." It's especially annoying when the majority of a game's objectives aren't difficult at all, which is the case with Narnia.

Gameplay: 7.0
For the young adventurer or the young at heart, The Chronicles of Narnia takes you to a fantasy world that you’ll happily revisit. It’s small on action, has a restricted camera angle and is pretty weak in the challenge department, but the act of working with four different characters to help them save Narnia (and themselves) is pretty fun.

Graphics: 8.5
Step back, take a look around and let your jaw drop at the beautiful world of Narnia. It’s lush, detailed, and makes me want to go there right now. What do you mean I can’t? Oh, right, it’s a game. A gorgeous one at that.

Sound: 8.0
The music seems to be the same as the film and it’s wonderful. Not as original as other recent fantasy/epics (it sounds a lot like other film scores), but overall it’s a really good sound. Soft, emotional, and properly edited into the game. The voice acting is about as good as the acting in the film since both share the same actors.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Aside from those parts that make you “Hmmm,” The Chronicles of Narnia falls in line with other child-friendly movie-based games (Lemony Snicket, Harry Potter, etc.). There aren’t too many excruciatingly difficult parts, which inevitably makes it less desirable to hardcore gamers. However, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King would have suffered the same fate had it not been for its relentless action. Consider that and you’ll realize that Narnia is worth a shot.

Concept: 8.0
The Chronicles of Narnia shows us another way for multiple characters to team up and become useful. Lots of interesting mechanics are introduced, like team attacks and character-specific tasks that make each character important. I never felt forced into using a specific character because I wanted to use different characters as often as possible. It made the game stay fresh longer.

Multiplayer: 7.0
Drop in and out of the game at any time! This feature means that if Gamer A is playing and Gamer B comes over for a visit, they can play together for as long as they wish on Gamer A’s quest. No need to re-start or re-load the game. Then if Gamer B has to leave suddenly, pause the game and click “drop out.” Just like that he’s gone, your quest is fine, and you can get back to the game.

Overall: 7.1
Lacking action but not fun, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is a straightforward adventure game in the vein of Lemony Snicket. There’s more fighting than Lemony, but features far fewer battles than The Return of the King. You’ll be in awe of the backgrounds, and the movie clips will definitely increase your desire to see the movie. As long as spoilers don’t bother you, this virtual journey is worth taking before the film.