This past holiday season's hit movie Monsters, Inc. by Disney's Pixar Studios has already made appearance on Sony's first console. That iteration of the game served as a prequel to the movie. Now with a Playstation 2 iteration released, the story is based loosely around the events of the movie. Therefore, some consider this version a sequel to the PSone version. Regardless, the game is best described as a generic platformer that will serve the younger gaming demographic. Experienced players might find some fun in this title too but unfortunately the fun does not last nearly long enough.

The visuals in Monsters, Inc. look great and very close to the models found within the movies. The problem is that Pixar Studios have come so far in their own visual presentation that it is almost impossible to replicate that total look on any current console. Therefore, the developers have done an admirable job in replicating the Monsters, Inc. environment to as close as possible as those found in the actual movie. The Monstropolis environments are colourful and full of intricate details that bring each area to life. Various textures are used to vary each stage and the developers also employed some nice lighting filters to change the mood of particular stages. All of the character animations look smooth and are responsive to your moves via the analog stick. Our only complaint with the visuals comes in the form of some shady camera movements. There are times when the camera goes spastic and this usually results in frustration and an untimely demise. The soundtrack is cheerful and goes nicely with the environments. The voice work is impressive as the developers were able to hire talent that closely resembles the voices used in the movie.

The gameplay itself is generic platforming at best. It is a 3D platform game that is very similar to many other platformers from the past. There are no ingenious concepts which makes things quite simple. As Sulley you can jump, scare, talk, sneak, look around, pull up and smash things and enemies with a Tail Whip Attack. Level objectives are straight forward and involve such things as finding lost keys, locating missing scream canisters and scaring mice. There are a number of challenges that are posed throughout the game's measly eight stages. These tasks in addition to an extra five bonus levels give the game some replay value but not nearly enough depth to keep players engaged much past the main game.

An interesting addition to the package was the decision to give the disc extra features that are usually found on DVD movies releases. Including in this feature are cut-scenes from the movie, a collection of Pixar artwork and sketches, a behind-the-scenes look at Pixar Animation Studios and interviews with Pixar's John Lasseter and the Monsters, Inc. filmmakers. These bonus materials provide an insider look into the process of creating a computer-animated film and will give fans a true appreciation for the hard work and skill that goes into Pixar's films. Although a nice addition, these materials do nothing for the gameplay and besides we expect to see these materials in more depth when the movie is released on DVD later this year.

There are better 3D platform games available for the PS2 (Jax & Daxter), but fans of Monsters, Inc. will enjoy a solid rental. The game is also a great alternative to the more mature games found on the PS2 as of late, for the younger gamer in your household.