Ben 10: Omniverse

12 cert, Namco Bandai, PS3 (also Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Wii U, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS) **

Ben 10: Ominiverse is an initially fun and feisty children’s game that soon becomes a punishing ordeal, thanks to some curious design decisions. Let’s start with the good news: it’s a third-person action/platform game. It plays smoothly and has a nice gimmick, as the young Ben transforms into different aliens, each with unique skills. The problems arise when you want to save your progress more frequently than every 20 minutes and want to revisit any onscreen instructions before you progress. Prepare to rip your hair from its roots as you try to remember which sequence of buttons will solve this puzzle or open that door. Learn to meditate, as the game mercilessly returns you to the beginning of a long level next time you log in. The biggest shame is that deep within this unforgiving, Kafkaesque ordeal is a fun game waiting to break out.