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It's no secret that Sonic games of late have been disappointing train wrecks that we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies. If that sounds a bit harsh, go out and spend $60 of your hard earned cash on Sonic the Hedgehog for the Xbox 360 (we gave it an F) and see if you don't agree. Between the hazardous waste that was Shadow the Hedgehog (it managed to score a bit better with a D) and Sonic Rivals (we awarded that one with a C) there have been surprising hits like Sonic Rush for DS (an A-) and Sonic Heroes (B-). So, the million-dollar question is how does Sonic And The Secret Rings stack up? Well Sonic fans, you're in luck. Not only is Sonic's first excursion on the Wii successful, it's also one of the best Sonic games in years.

Sonic And The Secret Rings makes a solid attempt to fix the problems that have plagued the Sonic games over the past few years. Many of the gripes have been addressed in this newest title. The extraneous characters have been eliminated so Sonic is now the only playable character, just the way I like it. The horrible camera and hit detection problems of prior games have been fixed. The speed has been ratcheted up and the action is fast and furious. Best of all, there aren't any levels with guns or cars and the stages more closely resemble those from the Sonic games of the 90s. I think those that grew up with the original Sonic games on the Genesis will be very pleased to finally play a 3D version of Sonic that feels closer to its 2D predecessors.

Sonic games have never really needed an elaborate story, but over the years the developers have insisted on adding cinema scenes with voice acting and this one is no different. This time around, Sonic is transported inside a storybook of the classic tale Arabian Nights. The evil genie Erazor has been busy deleting words from the book in an attempt to take over the world. Shahra, a genie of the magic ring, follows Sonic on his quest to rewrite the book and defeat the many monsters that inhabit its worlds. The story unfolds in storybook fashion and some familiar characters will be revealed along the way. This story element is definitely more entertaining than what's been shoved down our throats in recent Sonic games, but the dialogue seems geared at children ten and under. I threw up a little in my mouth when Sonic and Shahra made a pinky promise together.

Sonic And The Secret Rings ditches the free roaming aspects and annoying camera for a more concise and somewhat on-rails experience. In this respect the game plays a bit like Panzer Dragoon where you are able to move left and right, but Sonic is almost always running forward, although there's more freedom allowed. Sonic can come to a screeching halt by pressing the 2 button on the Wii Remote, which is held in the horizontal position similar to Excite Truck. Pulling the controller back toward the player will allow Sonic to actually walk backwards incase there are some rings or other items you missed blazing through the levels at supersonic speed. The 1 button allows Sonic to jump. A quick tap on the button will make him jump over low objects whereas holding the button will power up his jump, which will slow him down to a crawl and allow him to rocket up higher toward the sky. Attacking enemies is straightforward and fun. Sonic must jump toward an enemy and a green target will appear over the enemy. When he's close enough, the reticule will turn red and at that point the player must shove the controller toward the screen and Sonic will dash forward with a homing attack. It's possible to chain these attacks together when there are clusters of enemies nearby to reach new areas of the stage. To navigate the levels players simply tilt the Wii Remote left or right and Sonic will move around with ease.

Each world has multiple missions to complete with different objectives to meet. Even though you'll play each stage upwards of ten times, there will be different routes to take and the enemies and items will be remixed so it won't feel like the same area. There will be a variety of tasks to complete. One stage will simply require you to make it to the goal. The next task might be to destroy 15 enemies, or collect 4 eggs, or race a character to the finish line. Some missions are easier than others, but as you complete them more worlds will open up. If you become stuck on a certain mission you can often try a different one and come back to it later.

Another new facet, and one that's highly welcomed, is the addition of experience points. Depending on your performance in a level (speed of completion, rings collected, number of times hit by enemies, etc.), Sonic is awarded experience points. When his bar fills up he'll level up his ring, thus increasing his pool of skill points. These skill points can then be used to change Sonic's attributes. For example, early on in the game he will learn the skill to hard brake, which will allow him to come to a stop much quicker. You will learn skills faster than you earn points, which means before each mission you will want to customize your ring by spending the points on the skills that make the most sense for the stage at hand. If your goal is to finish the level as fast as you can, then you'll want to equip the skills that focus on speed. These skills add strategy and depth that haven't been seen before in a Sonic game.

Scattered throughout the levels are a variety of items. The standard staple of a Sonic game is the ring, and of course there are plenty of them in every stage. By having at least one ring Sonic won't die when hit by an enemy or if he comes in contact with hazards like spikes or fire. Hidden throughout the stages are fire souls, which will unlock goodies like cinema scenes and other behind the scenes items. Pearls litter the levels and Sonic collects them to fill up his Soul Gauge. Early in the game he will learn super-power actions called Speed Break and Time Break. When his gauge is filled he can harness this power and unleash one of these two moves. Pressing up on the d-pad activates the Speed Break, which enables Sonic to boost forward at crazy speed until the meter is depleted. Press down on the d-pad to initiate the Time Break, which slows down time, allowing Sonic to navigate around obstacles like fast turning blades and clusters of enemies.

The various worlds are wonderfully designed. There are parts that feature wide-open areas where Sonic can really show off his speed and others that require precision accuracy. The first stage is a desert oasis where Sonic rushes through the sand dunes and must avoid falling pillars and strategically placed enemies. The classic bumpers are back and they will propel Sonic to new parts of the stage. One section is ripped right out of Prince of Persia where Sonic must slowly inch his way across a ledge while avoiding spikes that shoot out of the wall. One misstep and he'll fall hundreds of feet to the quicksand traps below. Another level has Sonic running through a jungle, complete with huge corkscrew loops and an exhilarating ride on a raft out of control all the while trying to avoid being sunk by huge spikes and dinosaurs. Yet another level takes Sonic inside a factory to do battle with hulking robots and machinery gone awry. One missed jump will send him to an early grave in the lava pits below. Each world is unique not only in its scenery, but also in the variety of obstacles and enemies.

Sonic And The Secret Rings looks fantastic on the Wii. The levels are extremely detailed and colorful. Special effects are in full force throughout the game and the little details, like heat signatures, reflections, and dust particles don't go unnoticed. The game sports a very smooth frame rate throughout despite the speed of the action. While it doesn't look as good as the recent Sonic the Hedgehog on Xbox 360, it still offers a very satisfying visual experience. The music is standard Sonic fare, with some interesting background vocals on some of the stages and a few Arabian-influenced background instruments. Some of the lyrics border on cheesy, but overall the soundtrack fits the various locales. The voice acting is also pretty good, but the actual dialogue can be painful, so blame the writers, not the actors.

As is so often the case with Wii games, a multiplayer mode has been tacked on with support for up to four players. Yep, another collection of 40 or so mini-games have been included in Party Mode. These are somewhat fun to play with friends, and for the most part better than those seen in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, but it's not something that I'd go back to very often. Games like Rayman and WarioWare (and probably the upcoming Mario Party 8) already do the mini-game genre justice, so while it's a nice gesture to include multiplayer support, it's not really something that adds a lot to the package.

Sonic And The Secret Rings is an encouraging sign that good Sonic games can still be made. I had a tremendous time exploring the different stages and the skill points add a bit of depth to an otherwise straightforward game. Some of the missions can be extremely difficult at times and I became frustrated with a few of them. Luckily previous missions can be replayed to gain more experience and level up Sonic with new attributes that often help to pass some of the more difficult areas. For the most part, controlling Sonic with the Wii Remote works great. There were a few times when the game didn't recognize my gesture to use the homing attack and several times I accidentally pulled back on the controller, causing Sonic to stop and walk backward, but these were few and far between. If the story was told better (or ditched altogether), the music closer to the Sega CD Sonic, and the missions a little less maddening, the game would have received an even higher rating. As it stands, Sonic And The Secret Rings is a game I would recommend to anyone with a Wii. It's good to have the blue blur back!