Having fallen victim to Barbie’s alluring charm as an already fashion-minded little girl there were plenty of Barbie-themed games but not one of them really touched on the doll’s fashion sense the way it should have. Enter Bratz, a new kind of doll for a new generation of fashion-obsessed girls. Having inspired a made-for-DVD movie, the Bratz line of dolls can now count a PS2 game among their product list. Bratz Rock Angelz, though, is actually a good game for the targeted age range this game was designed around.

The story starts with a girl named Jade who manages to get her dream job as she becomes an intern for her Your Thing Magazine, her favorite fashion magazine. All is peachy until a mishap (thanks to those awful twins Kirstee and Kaycee) gets Jade fired. Fortunately for Jade her best friends Chloe, Yasmin and Sasha cheer her up and give her am idea. Why not start our own magazine, she asks them? So after redecorating a dilapidated office, the four girls start Bratz Magazine (which is actually a real publication, by the way), their own line of clothes and then even get to form their own rock band.

You start the game off as Jade but almost immediately you’ll be playing as Yasmin, Chloe and Sasha. In fact the game will switch between each girl often throughout the game mainly because each girl has her own duties to carry out for the magazine as well as specialty (make up is Chloe’s thing while Sasha knows all about music). You’ll be completing different objectives that have you moving through town - most especially the mall. Oh yes, I said the mall where you’ll find all the latest trendy clothing stores, hot hang outs and other notable attractions.

Shopping and fashion is a huge part of the game and with so many stores (there’s even a Foot Locker) and articles of clothes, accessories and shoes it is easy to forget why you had to run from the Bratz Magazine office to go to the mall. There’s even a bargain bin in most stores so you can imagine the endless outfit possibilities. There’s jewelry to buy (like bracelets or necklaces) and there’s even make up kits to buy (more on that a bit later). Luckily the girls can earn money (or Blingz, as it’s called in the game) by completing objectives or winning mini-games.

There are a nice variety of objectives to complete so you’ll be glad each girl has her own cell phone filled with contacts, info and camera to help keep track of everyone and objectives. Some objectives have you designing your own t-shirt, selecting everything from color, design patterns and images. You’ll even create your own posters to promote the magazine. Providing content for the magazine, you’ll be talking to people out shopping and you’ll even take pictures of animals using your phone. If that wasn’t enough you’ll even get to complete fun mini-games other characters will offer. For example, there’s skate races and one mini-game has you buying clothes for a girl that wants a new look. You’ll even get to do some modeling, which starts a posing mini-game (which is timed and has you pressing a sequence of buttons as they appear on the screen). You’ll even get the chance to live out the fantasy of becoming a rock star.

The most charming part of the game is that you have total control over how you want your characters to look. Everything from clothing to hair can be changed as often as you like and if you feel that something is missing you can always head back to the mall and shop again and again. Evening applying make up, which you can apply anyway you like, is fun thanks to the total freedom you’re given in the game. All is not perfect, though, for one thing there’s a lot of handholding in this game and the game can be a bit linear (forcing you to go from Point A to Point B or you’ll be bombarded with constant reminders). Then again it’s perfect for the younger gals that need hints here and there.

On the graphics front, Rock Angelz does an outstanding job of bringing the Bratz to animated life. Really the girls look like the dolls down to their big eyes and sense of style. The environments look good as well but it’s the animated cutscenes that win big in this game. There are hundreds of options to use to give each girl her own look, although I have to say that some of these outfits seem a little too out there for young girls. Other than that this game looks good on the PS2.

The game’s sound is filled with good dialogue that can be funny and filled with cute catchy phrases (and here I thought only Southern California Valley girls had their own lingo). The only bad part is that these phrases as well as other bits of dialogue can become too repetitive. How many times must we hear “I wish I had the nerve to wear that outside?” The sound effects are also pretty good but what you’ll hear the most is the game’s soundtrack. The tunes are mostly nods to young artists like Lindsay Lohan or any Hilary Duff-like performer for that matter. If you’re into this brand of music there are plenty of tunes here and you can listen to them in any order you like.

In the end, Bratz Rock Angelz is a cute, stylish and fun game for any girl that loves all things Bratz. It’s an entertaining game with a lot to like despite some weak spots but, hey, there’s shopping and fashion involved. There’s also a mixed message for any parent reading this and it’s: Girls, you can make your dreams come true if you believe in yourself and make the effort to go for it … just make sure you look really hot doing it.

Gameplay: 8.0
Rock Angelz is by far the best shopping simulator you’ll find on the PS2 but aside from that there’s fun mini-games, interesting design tools (design your own t-shirts!) and loads of things any Bratz fans could ask for in a Bratz game.

Graphics: 8.0
The game is true to the Bratz look and compared to the made-for-DVD movie it captures the characters and feel perfectly. While all the characters seem to look alike, at least their fashion sense is distinguishable. The animated cutscenes are super cute.

Sound: 8.0
The voice acting is actually really good despite the repetitive phrases. The sound effects are good but it’s the original soundtrack that will win you over … if you like loads of Hilary Duff/Lindsay Lohan-styled tunes.

Difficulty: Easy
There are some timed mini-games that can prove to be a tad challenging but there isn’t much here that will prove too hard even for younger gamers. The real challenge here is what to wear while promoting your magazine.

Concept: 7.5
There’s plenty to do in this game and literally hundreds of different clothing, jewelry and makeup kits to purchase and try out. You have the freedom to dress your characters any way you like and design your own fashion trends as well. Whew, it’s exhausting just picking out some cute shoes to go with your rock star look.

Overall: 7.8
Bratz Rock Angelz for the PS2 is a game you might want to buy for the young Bratz fan in your family. Combining fun mini-games, hot fashion items and an entertaining story, it doesn’t get any better than this game.