FAIRLY ODD PARENTS: Shadow Showdown

Publisher: THQ

Format: PS2

Price: £19.99

Family friendly? Nothing for parents to worry about here.

CARTOONS used to be strictly for the kids. Nowadays, all the best animated TV series usually have a nice line in adult humour bubbling away beneath the childish surface that makes them as popular with mum and dad as junior.

Movies like Shrek and The Incredibles have taken this formula to new heights on the big screen but no company has done more to advance the ideal of the "cross-over" animated show than Nickelodeon.

From Ren and Stimpy, though Spongebob Squarepants and Fairly Odd Parents, the Nick channel has churned out hit after hit for the best part of a decade.

Fairly Odd Parents embodies a familiar childhood fantasy: the supernatural pals who can always be relied upon to get you out of a sticky situation. In this case, the series' hero Timmy is able to call upon two adopted fairies. They use their magical powers in genie-like fashion to help him overcome seemingly impossible odds.

The game begins as Timmy settles down to watch his favourite TV show Crash Nebula. Just as the episode is about to start, his TV goes on the blink. Unsurprisingly, he calls up his Fairly Odd Parents, Cosmo and Wanda, to fix the dodgy set so he can resuming his viewing pleasure,

Unfortunately for Timmy something terrible has happened: Cosmo and Wanda's magic wands no longer work. They can use emergency wands but these only have limited powers. If Timmy wants to catch the latest episode of Crash Nebula, he must solve the mystery of the missing magic before the show is repeated.

You control Timmy and you can call upon his magic friends to help solve puzzles and grab the equipment he needs to advance through the game. Hilarious items include the pogo stick of justice, the repair-o-tron and best of all the super cleft freeze ray. Each level is based on a popular episode from the show: Fairly Disastrous, Dad's Dream, Take It On The Chin, Get A Clue, Vicky Strikes Back and the Great Esc-Ape.

Progression unlocks clips from the show and there's a vaguely interesting behind-the-scenes featurette. Fans will love it.

Graphically, the attention to detail is spot-on. Fairly Odd Parents relies on witty scripts to compensate for relatively simplistic visuals and, as such, it translates perfectly on the PS2. This game is as close to appearing in your own episode as it is possible to get with current technology.

Shadow Showdown isn't the first Fairly Odd Parents game. The first (Breakin' Da Rules), slipped beneath the gaming radar of all but the very youngest of game players last year. For adults, it committed the cardinal sin of messing with the formula by aiming for the Early Learning Centre crowd to the exclusion of everyone else.

THQ has cleared learned its lesson well. Shadow Showdown may be relatively easy for a seasoned gamer, but there's still plenty here for players of all ages to enjoy.

COMPETITION

BROTHERS in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is being heralded as the most authentic World War II shooter ever and we have teamed up with CHIPS video game stores to give you the chance to win one of four great prizes.

The first two winners will scoop a Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 game plus an official Limited Edition DVD, which shows exactly how this great game was made. Two runners-up will also receive this sought-after DVD.

Set during the airdrop before the invasion at Normandy, Sgt Matt Baker and his squad of 101st Airborne paratroopers were scattered over the French countryside. As the story unfolds, you must choose between the success of his mission and the lives of his men - his brothers in arms.

Immerse yourself in the gritty, uncensored and emotionally-charged side of war. Missions have been crafted using after-action reports, aerial reconnaissance images and eye-witness accounts - so they really are as lifelike as possible.

You can battle your way through 20 epic single player chapters or go online and challenge your friends with ten competitive multi-player missions.

This game has earned endorsements from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation and the Patton Museum and is available on PS2, Xbox and PC for £29.99 from CHIPS.

The DVD, which all winners will receive, covers how the game was made from Day One, including a research trip to Normandy in France, exclusive developer diary interviews and never-before-seen gameplay footage.

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, for 16+, is just one of thousands of games available from CHIPS. The chain buys, sells and trades new and secondhand consoles, games, accessories and DVDs and has stores in Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar, Hartlepool, Northallerton, Guisborough, Consett and Chester-le-Street.

how to enter

To win one of these four great prizes answer this question correctly

Name the paratrooper in charge of missions in Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30?

Send your entries, by Friday, May 20, to Byte Brothers In Arms Comp, Priestgate, Darlington DL1 1NF. Due to the content of this game the competition is open to over 18s only.

Published: ??/??/2004