Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

3 cert, Namco Bandai/ DreamWorks, Xbox 360 (also PS3, Wii, DS, 3DS) **

Is it fair to compare Madagascar games to Lego ones? Both are tie-ins and both are third- person, multiplayer puzzlers. One franchise offers bland cash-in adaptations of animated films; the other is an inventive, deservedly beloved brand. Guess which is which. Once again, Alex the lion and friends are trying to make their way home to their New York zoo. Tasks usually involve finding objects, solving puzzles, climbing, circus- performing and avoiding animal catchers.The pace is leaden and the animation drab, but there are worse problems: the game’s only real challenges are a result of minor bugs and bad design decisions (vague map icons, for example). Graphics are serviceable, but are also lower- resolution than this generation of gamers has come to expect, especially in the wake of some gorgeous kids’ titles such as Kinect Rush. Even the voice- work has the jaded twang of contractual obligation. For very young kids only, and specifically those who are so in love with the Madagascar brand that they’ll choose it over similar, superior games.