Monster House

Performances by the movie cast (gotta love Skull's wisdom) and this is pretty much E-rated paradise. [Sept 2006, p.59]

Something of a rarity - a licensed game that's actually fun. It's no "Resident Evil" but it'll keep the young ones entertained for a while, even if it's a rather short while. [Oct 2006, p.92]

Monster House looks good and sounds good, and combined with THQ's attention to the film, the game has atmosphere in spades. That's the real selling point of the title.

Like many movie games, it lacks the shiny coat of polish that major game productions bring to the table, but for its intended audience, Monster House rises above much of its competition to deliver a fun game that is faithful in every way to its license.

The presentation isn't spectacular but is faithful to the movie, and the inclusion of the arcade-like Thou Art Dead is a nice touch.

It's nothing spectacular and it's not one of those things that will keep them busy for an extremely long period of time, but it's a fine game that happens to be a tie-in with a kid's movie.

Though it's not quite "Resident Evil" for the E10+ set, THQ's movie-based Monster House does provide a few good scares in the man-eating manor of its title. [Sep 2006, p.85]

Monster House could just as easily have been called My First Resident Evil. While less violent and more family-friendly, many of the same aspects are there and will make Monster House feel strangely familiar, from battling monsters to solving illogical puzzles. Sadly, the low difficulty level and cartoony feel make this title a poor purchase for any but the youngest of fans.

Monster House is a breezy summer title for the kids that will keep them busy for a while, but it doesn't take full advantage of its impressive source material and leaves its players wishing for better.

Unfortunately, the entire look of the game is marred by choppy graphics.

Although it'll be over fairly quickly, there are a few bonus features and a 2D arcade game to play with, and it's sure to please a few kids as the summer holiday boredom starts to kick in.

It's just one extended chair wrecking, box-shoving session. And that's a house of pain, to be sure.

Good harmless fun, but there are more creative and better-value children's games available. Enter at your own risk.

One of the good things about the game is that it targets both boys and girls with its characters from the film -- and let's face it - you don't see too many fat kids getting leading roles in films animated or otherwise.

Your best bet here is to wait until the Monster House movie is released on DVD. With extras, it'll probably be about as long as the game and you and your kids won't have to put up with design problems or frustrating controls.

Excellent atmosphere notwithstanding, this third-person action game is hobbled by tedious combat and a number of dubious design problems.