Xbox Review: Grabbed by the Ghoulies - daytrum - the technology guide for families

Publisher: Microsoft

Ages: six and up.

Parental Advisory:
Arcade violence

Lighthearted and somewhat funny, Microsoft's Grabbed by the Ghoulies is a beat-'em-up adventure game that takes place in a haunted house full of crazed ghoulies.

Players become Cooper, a kid on a mission to rescue his girlfriend from a cartoon haunted house that's filled with monsters. In all, players explore and fight through more than 50 rooms and 100 levels in the sinister Ghoulhaven Hall.

The game features some 25 ghoulies that include mummies, zombies, imps and more and players face being electrocuted, bitten, burnt, cursed, bandaged and being thrown around. In addition, players can use some 100 household objects as weapons, which include chairs, pool cues, tables, bottles and more.

The game offers 15 types of power-ups for speed, energy and weapon boosts, and there are whimsical power-ups that include "miniature coopers," mini-clones of the main character that join in brawls. Players also have to dodge "nasties," which are anti-power-ups.

Controls are quite good and the graphics are excellent. The game does a fantastic job of telling its story through a series of comic book panels that transition between sequences in the game. The action does tend to get a bit repetitive after awhile. Interestingly, the game is linear-there's only a single path to follow.

Youngsters, except the most cautious ones, won't be afraid of the creatures and monsters in the game, which have a fright level that's about on par with an episode of "Scooby Doo." As you would expect, there's lots of fighting and violence in the game, but it's mostly bloodless.

Generally, Grabbed by the Ghoulies is an entertaining romp and kids should have fun with this one.

11/3/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff

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