A great game for all ages!

Rayman is a duck, with 3 ambiguous friends, on a picnic. They get kidnapped by deranged bunnies – that is essentially the story line! The game is played in the classic console method of creating a player name, and progressing through a series of scenarios to reach the conclusion. However, my family found that Rayman was different in the humor and downright silliness of the mini-games used to progress.

Some of the factors with which you must contend with are giant killer bunnies, dance contests, cow flinging and plunger shootouts. The form of the game is that you are kept as a prisoner, who is periodically sent out into an arena. From the arena, you may choose from various mini-games with hilarious names and ridiculous intent. These games are very entertaining, though slightly simple for a practiced gamer - more suitable for a child or less experienced person. As you progress in the game, the cell in which you are kept gradually becomes more luxurious – originally a cement-walled cell with a cot and toilet, it gains a canopy bed, juke box, quality furnishings, and the toilet becomes a ‘throne’. There are several measures of your progress, including the luxuriousness of your cell and the respect with which your captors treat you. Initially, you are brought to the arena by the method of a monster bunny grabbing you by the neck and flinging you in. You are returned to your cell by a similar method. After you make some progress, you are escorted by the monster bunny, then finally you actually get a parade in and out, complete with ticker tape and fireworks. The concrete measure of your progress is the number of toilet plungers you accumulate – plungers appear to be a unifying theme. You gain one for each level completed, and can use them to build a ladder, of sorts, to reach a window. When you do, you escape and the game is finished.

Each level progresses through 3 or 4 mini-games, then one challenge round. Once you complete 3 minis, you can go to the challenge. Beating the challenge completes the level, but you must beat all 4 minis to gain the extras, such as clothes, music, furnishings, etc. Examples of minis are cow tossing, dancing (with some cool tunes) and skipping (large chain swung by monsters, bunnies block your view periodically). The instructions are clear for each mini, the names are hilarious and the games hugely entertaining.

Challenge games are longer and harder, taking several tries to complete. Examples are warthog races and plunger duels. These themes are repeated several times through the game, but are made fresh with wild changes in setting and requirements. In one race, you are the only one made to run backwards! The plunger duels are a highlight of the game, with you facing hordes of bunnies armed with plunger shooters, fly swatters, shovels, clubs or other implements of destruction. The settings vary from beach scenes to graveyards.

At the end of the game, you use the accumulated plungers to build a ladder to the window and crawl out. However, you return to the original scene from which you were kidnapped with your small friends. The ending makes it clear that there will be a sequel, possibly with Rayman returning to rescue his friends.

I recommend this game for anyone, as it could not possible offend, the 'violence' is very cartoony and the most politically correct could not take offence. It makes great use of the new Wii-style of active controllers. Although it is challenging, it is not impossible to master. I am sure that video game experts would find it easy to finish, but it was great diversion for our entire family - easy enough to allow you to progress through the levels, but sufficiently difficult to keep it interesting.