Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Starter Pack

Firstly, despite the fact that this game has spyro's name in the title, it's not really a spyro game, but rather a game that features spyro, if that makes sense. It's more like a whole new gaming series. I didn't know exactly what to expect when buying this game since I have seen the harsh and unfair critizism this game has suffered by other some other spyro fans since its announcement, and I knew that this game would be a far cry from the original spyro PS1 trilogy that I fell in love with way back years ago, which in my opinion will always be the best spyro games. However, this game did not disappoint me and I don't regret buying it one bit.

The gameplay is very enjoyable, if not overly challenging- You can tell this game was designed with a young audience in mind, but still that doesn't mean it's too easy for older players like me as there's plenty that experienced gamers will enjoy, such as the Hero Challenges. You will be fighting enemies a lot, but this allows your characters to gain experience and level up, and the combat is much less repetitive than the combat in the Legend of Spyro series. Occasionaly you will come across puzzles, such as lock picking, box pushing, and laser redirecting, and while these will require some thought and concentration, they do not become frustrating. The controls are tight, the graphics are beautiful and colourful, and the dialogue is humourous and witty, and will cause a few chuckles. The playable characters don't really talk much in the game, but will speak when you place them on the portal, each with their own comments and battle cries.

The idea of placing the character toys on the portal to play as them is a very interesting one, and let's you switch characters anytime you like- even while playing a level. there are 32 characters overall (though only approximately half of those are available to buy to this date, the rest will be released later) and fall in 8 different elements. you will get 3 toys with the game, the rest you buy separately. You can buy whichever characters you like but will need characters of a specific element to reach certain parts of levels. This unfortunately does mean that completing the game could get quite pricey since you will need to buy at least one character from each element for 100% completion, but is entirely optional, as you don't need additional characters to finish the storyline, so you can take your time and buy new character toys at your own pace.

Overall this game is addictive and very, very fun for the young, or like me, the young at heart. Whether you have played previous spyro games or not, I highly recommend you try this game. It does not deserve the hate suffered during its development, and I have been a dedicated spyro fan for years, and while this is still does not reach level of the old games (in my opinion), Skylanders is a real treat and a brilliant game in it's own right.

Summary: With colourful gameplay, memorable and visually appealing characters, and an overall unique platforming experience, 'Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure' provides a solid gaming experience that is perfect for younger gamers.

'Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure' is a unique 3D platformer where you play as a 'portal master' who aids a group of legendary warriors known as the 'Skylanders' to rebuild their world whilst defeating the evil 'Kaos'. The game comes with a 'portal of power' device which you place your real life character toy onto and they appear in the game. As your character collects treasure, levels-up and gains new abilities in the game, this information is stored into the toy which you can play on any other 'portal of power' on any platform.

The starter pack provides you with 3 characters which is enough to complete the game but most levels have certain areas only accessible with characters of a certain elemental class (over 30 characters are spread over 8 classes - identifiable from the toys base) and in areas of levels, certain elements are stronger and more powered up giving them advantages meaning 100% game completion will require a minimum of 5 extra characters so you have 1 of each elemental class. Whilst this will mean the game could become quite expensive, you have a choice of 4 characters for each element (some are yet to be released) with a different appeal depending on the style of fighting you prefer (long-range, projectile, swordplay, melee combat etc). Most of the characters have appealing personalities, and the game provides humour along with some great voice acting.

Levels are set in different floating worlds with many different themes and environements with a nice mix of combat, treasure hunting and exploration. Whilst being a game for a younger audience, it is not soo easy that an older player would not enjoy it. Each character has initially 2 unique attacks with powered-up and new attacks to be learnt as your character grows. To swap characters during levels you simply swap toys on the portal. Each level can be replayed an infinite number of times to gain exp and treasures including comical hats that give you stat boosts (each chartacter has basic advantages and weaknesses in attack, defence, agility and luck). There are also mini-game elements in levels such a picking locks, using machine guns etc and there are extra training levels which also boost your stats. A second player can drop in and out of the story campain at any time and the game also has separate multiplayer levels and arenas where you can fight each other.

This game has received a negative response from the Spyro fanbase due to the redesign of the spyro skylander character (even before actually playing the game) but this is unfair as spyro is only 1 of the 30+ characters and doesn't even have to be played at all if preferred. The spyro universe is not even refered to in the game so spyro is more of a cameo/ bonus character since he is a classic video game identity. Most professional reviews however have been good so far.

My son and his friends love this game. The game play is great and keeps him entertained. Upgrading the characters makes for a good interaction and adds another element to the game play which he enjoys. The figures are cool and lets him take the game off the screen and actually allows him to use imaginative play. He loves the concept of collecting them all and this is where the problem arrives. If we wish to complete his collection we are looking in the region of £200 on figures, £60 on adventure packs (that I can find information on) and the £40 on the starter pack. That is a huge amount of money! The concept is outstanding and I tip my hat to the people of Activision. This is a 3 star review as I give the game 5 stars for the entertainment value and playablity but 1 star for the costs involved.