Graphics: A real strong point. Sonic's world glows with comfortable, bright colors and a nice cartoonish detail. Battles utilize an effective 3D-style viewpoint, while the world map action has a smooth polish.

Audio: Solid tunes and sound effects, but nothing spectacular.

THE WRAP-UP

Parent's take: Cartoonish action all the way through, nothing offensive. Lots of text to read, though.

Final word: "Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood" seems to be a game aimed more at kids (and certainly not at the retro gamers of the 16-bit era). They'll eat up the dialogue and brightly colored trappings, but younger children may have a tougher time really grasping the battle system. Meanwhile, older gamers will balk at the cutesy story and wish for even more strategy. But the core gameplay is very solid for pre-teens and up, especially boys, and others willing to give it a chance will find a lot to like.