When it comes to kids games these days there’s a portion of the X360 team that can’t help but feel that we had it a little better than kids today. After all, we were playing Super Mario World and Street Fighter II, and something like Bolt couldn’t possibly compete with these classics, could it? Well no, obviously. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a half-decent little game in here that does at least try to make an effort. It may not be up to the quality of the games of yesteryear, but kids of today will probably lap it up. It’s just a shame that they don’t really know what they’re missing.

Bolt follows the titular canine’s TV adventures instead of just rehashing events from the movie, and gameplay is broken up into two sections. You’ll be able to play as Penny, who takes the rather stealthy approach to missions and has her handy wheel bar for traversing the environments, or you play as Bolt, who will viciously attack people with nasty combos and special moves that charge up as you make successful attacks. Anyone with even a passing interest in gaming will have played all of this before, but it’s done in a child-friendly way and bar the odd camera issue and, bizarrely, a stuttering frame rate, the action is passable enough. Bolt’s combos are easy to pull off and the QTE moments, though repetitive, give the game its moments that look most like the movie.

You’ll spend your time flitting between the two characters performing the odd puzzle, taking on the odd boss, and generally doing things that Disney thinks kids want to do, and it all works fine. It’s just not as good as the games kids of today should be playing. It’s hard to recommend Bolt to gamers who may have enjoyed the film, as clearly this is intended for the younger gamer, and they’ll probably find great enjoyment within. After all, you’ll be fighting gunships, clinging onto trains and solving simple puzzles. But when you compare it other games aimed at the same audience, Bolt just can’t compete.