Rocky and Bullwinkle

It might seem strange to make a game for kids based on a TV show most people under the age of 20 will have never seen. On the other hand, if a game is fun then it matters little how familiar anyone is with its characters. Problem is, Rocky and Bullwinkle isn't much fun. Most of the games are extraordinarily elementary, requiring players to do things like tap a button to stamp a piece of paper, spin the control stick to make a boat race forward, or rapidly depress the triggers to climb a tree. Even young children will likely grow bored of these challenges within minutes.

But worse than the game's overly simplistic nature are its confounding instructions. They're so poorly written and illustrated that they often leave you completely clueless as to what you're supposed to do. And when the game ends in failure after just a few seconds, there are usually no signs indicating what went wrong -- which means you're stuck in the same predicament the next time the game pops up. It's maddening. Adding insult to injury is a buggy camera-based interface. Rocky and Bullwinkle is one of a handful of Xbox Live Arcade titles that allow players to control game action via the Xbox 360's webcam, which means you can stand in front of the camera and move your arms and hands to interact with the game. The problem is that in Rocky and Bullwinkle the camera frequently loses track of one's movements -- not helpful when playing lightning quick microgames in which every second counts. At least the camera isn't mandatory. Take our advice and just stick with the traditional controls. It may be difficult to figure out what to do, but at least once you understand how to play, you won't have to worry about the controller not registering your commands.