It's a testament to the imagination of Tim Burton that his visionary, twisted fairytale The Nightmare Before Christmas still stands up to repeated viewings nearly twelve years after its release. We doubt people will still be talking about this tie-in in 2017, but hey, it's not that bad.

Picking up seamlessly where the film left off, Jack the Pumpkin King is back in Halloweentown, and all, typically, is not well. Oogie Boogie is back too (though no explanation is given for his return) and the town's freaky inhabitants are in a state of disarray. Or something. As expected for a movie tie-in, the game follows the generic, easy-on-the-brain action template, but with a few very cool flourishes that salvage it from being just another cash-in.

Jack's ecto-tastic rubber whip is a novel weapon, and makes battering enemies a right laugh. Building up combos and juggling an opponent mid-air is dead simple, and hauling them in, wielding them like a lifeless lasso before hurling them into an advancing bag of bones is both satisfying and extremely cool. Combat is actually very solid; for a supposed kids' game the action is punishingly tough and challenging.

The songs, although ripped directly from the film, are still fresh and toe-tappingly great. They're not just there for fancy window-dressing either. Several stages involve Jack building up his music meter (through combat and successful combos on opponents), and then facing off for a dance-off with Oogie himself. A familiar Dance Dance Revolution-style mini-game, the difficulty is significantly tougher than the easy-going ride we thought it would be. That said, it's a welcome break from the relentless, frenzied whipping you slog through in the game world proper, and there's blood, sweat and battered thumb-skin on the dancefloor once you've finished.

Each region is easily reachable from the central hub, and as Jack's combat abilities are progressively upgraded, you're encouraged to revisit completed areas and unlock the wealth of secrets and extras. It's a shame the front-end menus don't reflect this simplicity; they're slow, clunky and both confusing and infuriating to navigate, especially when you're in a hurry to whip out that health restoring elixir.

Although the songs may be faithful to the film, the voice of Jack Skellington isn't, and as such it feels odd to try and relate to the skinless charlatan. Annoyingly, there's no instant save option, and what save points there are (although comically represented by the Three Mr Hydes) are few and far between. Because of Jack's meagre health and inability to take a lot of damage, it's very frustrating to replay the same large chunks of level over and over again. An easy-going and fun actioner that sadly lacks the finesse of the original film. .

1. Looks and sounds just like the classic film. The songs are still great, but what's with Jack's rubbish voice?
2. The dancing mini-games are a right laugh, and again, a satisfying tough challenge. Can you keep up?
3. Combat is pleasingly tough and a decent enough challenge - a bit tricky for a kid's game though.

1. Looks very rough and ready - which is a shame considering the distinct visual quality of the original film.
2. The action can be on the repetitive side, and the sporadic save points make wading through waves of identical enemies a bit of a chore.

A fun and quirky actioner that benefits immensely from strong source material, though it doesn't look half as good.