Wheeled out and plonked onto shelves just in time for the release of the gorgeously designed, deftly written and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, big screen Christmas cracker, Rise of the Guardians, Torus Games inevitable tie-in to the DreamWorks flick punts you into a fairytale world where you get to control its five guardians.
The five North (Santa Claus), Tooth (the Tooth Fairy), Bunnymund (the Easter Bunny), Sandman and Jack Frost can be switched between on the fly as you hammer the attack button and rid this weird and wonderful world of a myriad of evil spirits. In between the frequent bouts of button bashing theres hidden treasures to be hunted down and handfuls of side quests to wrap your head around. Its fairly standard stuff with a dash of RPG mechanics woven into the games tapestry for good measure.
Unfortunately the entire experience of playing Rise Of The Guardians is marred by the games annoying camera and a series of shoddily animated cut scenes. In the end Torus Games latest is somewhat saved by the addition of offline and online co-op, but its still not enough to detract from the fact that Rise Of The Guardians is yet another in a long, long line of cash-ins kicked out the door in a bid to make a pics release date. Make it a rental for the kids if you absolutely have to.