The first and only game based on one of the world's most popular comics is a very disappointing game that manages to capture only one aspect of the cartoon perfectly: the nonchalant, see-if-I-care attitude of Snoopy the complacent dog. Granted, bringing the world of The Peanuts onto the computer screen is a big challenge, due to the fact that the cartoon's appeal rests more on the philosophical, almost Zen-like placid sense of humor, than on the adrenaline rush or the excitement of adventure of most cartoons. Nonetheless, the absence of this subtle Peanuts-style humor, coupled with a painfully cumbersome interface (Snoopy can carry and use only one item at a time), makes the game very tedious. Although you, as Snoopy, can wander around town and meet many Peanuts characters, none of them has anything interesting to say, and most of the time just behave like stone statues. Puzzles, or what excuses of them, are few, and seem to be there just for the sake of giving you something to do, rather than having any relationship with the (thin) plot. Overall, I doubt even die-hard Peanuts fans will be motivated enough to play the game for more than a few minutes, let alone finishing it. Devoid of plot and the gentle humor of the comics strip, this computerized version of Snoopy & Peanuts serves only as a reminder of how not to design a game. Reviewed by: Underdogs |