A multiplayer focused game without a much needed online mode; this Shrek title will entertain the kids, but do little for adults.

Shrek Forever After on the Xbox 360 is the video game tie-in for the latest Shrek film that's just hit theaters. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the film series so far, I enjoyed the first but I've felt that the subsequent entries have all really missed the mark on humor and fun. Having not seen the fourth film, I can't really comment on the story past what I've gleamed from the game, but I will say that this kid focused title is actually somewhat enjoyable, more so when you have a group of people to play it with.

One of the big draws for Shrek Forever After is that you can play with up to four people locally; there is no online component for this particularly entry, which I did find disappointing since the game does focus so heavily on teamwork throughout the main campaign. Instead, if you're playing by yourself, you're stuck switching roles between Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and Puss as you explore the different fantasy themed worlds, and their dark counterparts, hunting down different items, power-ups, coins, and bosses in order to finish the game. The game features the entire cast of the current series, but you'll only play as those four that I listed. If you're playing with friends, then you'll each take on a role, and to be honest the game is a lot better with more people tagging along.

At first glance Shrek Forever After looks like little more than a run of the mill 3-D beat-'em-up title. Shrek, or whoever you've currently selected, goes from level to level, bashing enemies with a series of basic combo attacks, and those enemies in turn will yield different power-ups, like temporary increases in strength, or a special attack for you to use once. There's not a whole lot to the game when it comes to combat, it's awfully repetitive and pretty boring in the one on one encounters. It doesn't help that the game often herds you into these single space fight areas, where a small cutscene will trigger and you'll take on wave after wave of bad guys, often to the tune of some type of pop music, typically something pulled from the Shrek films like "Walking on Sunshine". The music is pretty much as out of place as it sounds and it's definitely tossed in there just to pull on your memories of the existing films, without really being appropriate to the action on screen.

The part about Shrek Forever After that I actually enjoyed, however, comes from all of the puzzle solving sequences and how each character has a specific role to play. Shrek is your big guy, able to move large objects, carry things around and so on. Fiona is used to ignite flammable objects, whether that's barrels of oil or simply a pile of logs. Donkey uses his ability to kick to break open gates, knock loose different items, or rotate various objects. Finally, Puss in Boots can climb different objects to get to out of reach places, allowing the rest of your gang to do their thing. There are a number of instances in each level of the game that will have you switching control back and forth between each member of your party, which is done simply by pressing Y or using the D-Pad on the controller. For instance, you'll come across a row of cracked rocks blocking your path, and a cart that's full of oil barrels. Donkey will kick a barrel free, Shrek will carry it to the cracked rocks, and Fiona will light that barrel on fire, clearing the path for you to continue. The puzzles do tend to get repetitive, but with a group of people playing it's a little easier to stomach (and quicker) than it is to control all the actions by yourself. There are some inventive puzzles though, and a number of hidden chests and other items that are purely optional if you feel like figuring them out.

Along with the puzzles, some of the boss fights involve some inventive mechanics too, like the Fairy Godmother battle in the second stage. You need to cross disappearing platforms to collect various items as Shrek, which you then toss into a pot of boiling water and light on fire with Fiona to fire a beam as the Fairy Godmother. Each hit becomes more and more difficult, requiring you to travel farther and pay attention to the platform patterns to get safely across. It's certainly better than just mashing the attack button like you do in most of the basic enemy encounters, and at least shows some thought was put into making the game enjoyable.

Still, I'm not sure these highlights are enough to suggest the game to the older crowd. Some of the puzzles can be a little difficult, but most aren't something we haven't seen in the games before. For instance, there's plenty of puzzles in the second stage that require you to manipulate a beam of light using mirrors that you can turn diagonally, something Resident Evil 5 fans would be instantly familiar with. There are other things here that are liberally borrowed from other titles, and as a whole the game doesn't feel all that inventive once you get over that new game shine. I will say that it would be a great title for a parent with multiple kids, as there's always something for the characters to do, and the game doesn't really punish you that much with death or obtuse limitations on the gameplay. It's pretty easy if you put enough effort into it, and I don't think kids would grow bored with the gameplay that quickly. It also helps that the game features a number of the Shrek characters, which are certainly going to appeal to a younger demographic.

Overall, I think it's a decent enough family title from Activision, but not quite as enjoyable as the last one I played from this Publisher, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Still, if you're looking for something on the Xbox 360 for your kids to enjoy, you could definitely do worse than Shrek Forever After. Older gamers might want to give this a rental first though, and I think I'd advise avoiding this completely unless you're playing with other people, as playing the game alone certainly takes a lot of fun out of it. The lack of an online mode is a shame really, as I think the game would have got a little more attention with one intact.