Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The fetch-questing gets old fast, but the game ties in closely with the film in graphics, sound, and atmosphere. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is tailor-made for a younger group, and keeping that in mind, the game does what it's set out to do.

It follows the beloved storyline with a wonderful cinematic flair, top-notch audio design, colorful yet simple graphics and a basic set of gameplay mechanics. However, a lacking of innovation and overall gameplay and graphical polish stunt the game's full potential and leave it as a just-above-average title only fans of the material and/or genre will find any value in.

The game is beaten rather quickly, and somehow lacks the inventive touches that the film itself possesses. Still, it could've been worse. "Oompa Loompa DDR," anyone?

Bad control and poor execution ruin the experience.

This has to be one of the worst games I've had the displeasure of playing in quite some time. [Sept 2005, p.100]

A bare-bones run-of-the-mill 3D puzzle-actioner saturated with eye-bleeding color and overflowing with tired devices and clunky gameplay. [Sept 2005, p.56]

Kids aren't going to want to rescue the bad guys of the movie, kids want to explore the factory, swim in the chocolate lakes and hijack cars.

The console releases are better than the truly execrable PC game of the same name, but there's still no reason for it to exist.

Totally devoid of fun for any age. Non-existent level design and about three ideas repeated endlessly. Steer clear. [NGC]

It's pure repetitiveness is enough to make any chocolate lover long for a nice salty snack treat. So make your dentist happy and stay far far away from this title. It will leave a very bitter aftertaste and have you reaching for your mouthwash.

Atrocious. And not "atrociously good fun" either. Simply atrocious. It's like biting into an Oh Henry and discovering that it is indeed, a big fat solid chunk of stanky human dung and undigested peanuts.

As I painfully maneuvered my Charlie from room to room, I grew more and more desperate in my attempt to find redeeming qualities in the game.

The effect is disastrous. [Sept 2005, p.84]

The controls are awful, the camera is beyond appalling, the graphics are hideous, the environments are bare, the gameplay is unbearably repetitive and the whole thing is an utter chore to play.