Jackie Chan Adventures - Australian Review

He's kicked butt in dozens of Hong Kong action movies, and won over youngsters with his colourful cartoon series, so what does Jackie Chan have in store for gamers?

Back flipping gracefully onto PS2 for the first time is Jackie Chan Adventures. And as the name suggests, it's closely based on the popular cartoon series. Developer Atomic Planet Entertainment has carried over the look and feel of the animated series utilising distinctive cell-shading, plus a similar story line and familiar cast.

Chan's double life as a relic expert and special agent sees him, along with his side kick niece, up against animated arch rivals the Dark Hand and their merry band of deadly ninja, in a race to find 12 talismans before a hand full of ancient demons manage to bring on the undoing of all that we've come to know as good.

Playing as the kung fu guru, your time is split between classic platform hopping and puzzling solving, with surprisingly little combat (for such a famous martial arts master), still what there is of it, is smooth and responsive. The level objectives, while varied and challenging are sadly a linear affair, inevitably leading you through the game by a leash. Though, with the recovery of each Talsiman, new powers are progressively unlocked such as increased strength, speed, jumping, and astral travel. You can expect a side serving of mini games too, such as fishing, cards, and even three EyeToy activities to get you up off your...couch.

Score = 6.5/10