Grim Fandango--been there, done that. Trespasser--you've seen one dinosaur, you've seen them all. Barney and the Teletubbies--yeech! It's time to move over, Mister Rogers, 'cause the Rugrats are in the 'hood! Why would a grown man go ga-ga over a children's game? Hey, a reviewer's got to do what a reviewer's got to do!

Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil, Angelica and all the rest of the family members are here in a hybrid 3D CD with their original voices, music and animators from the television show. The evil Queen Angeleeka has kidnaped Tommy's Reptar toy and now you must save him from Hubert the Trash Monster. In typical Rugrat fashion, one misadventure leads to another and a task that would be simple for an adult becomes a major undertaking for the babies. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you have to save the earth too.

There are three different episodes that you must complete before you can save Reptar and then the earth. Each episode can be initiated by clicking on a different baby. Multiple skill levels make the game accessible to all age groups. Any child (or adult) that beats this game on the easy (Not so tuff) level would then have just as much fun replaying the adventure on the hard (Most Tufferest) level. This is truly an adventure game for children and for big kids to play with their children. No heavy-handed moralizing here; just a plot that is a excellent example of zany misadventures arising from a simple situation (similar to the classic I Love Lucy episodes). Get out your blue crayons and scribble an A for this plot.

There are a lot of puzzles in Rugrats. It is great to see an adventure game for children that has inventory- and situation-based puzzles. Can't get to that door handle? Try hiding in the garbage can so that your Daddy unwittingly carries you outside. You have to think like a baby in this game! There were times when my two sons, Jacob (age 8) and Jonathan (age 11), were frustrated, not with the game's puzzles, but with me for taking over the computer. You will need to collect such diverse items as burnt cookies, a monster suit and Grandpa's teeth, to name a few, and in the tradition of all good adventure games, the puzzles become more complex and satisfying to complete as the game progresses. By the way, be forewarned that the inventory pieces are stored in Tommy's diaper. I do have to admit that checking for the inventory in Tommy's diaper and peering down my cleavage in Trespasser have to be two of the most disconcerting adventure experiences I have ever had in all my years of gaming. There are some minor "arcade" sequences such as fishing in the garbage for Reptar with Grandpa's false teeth, but these games are more fun than annoying. The puzzles in Rugrats are perfect for the intended age group for this game and get a grade of A.

If you have ever seen the Rugrats on television (and who hasn't?), then you have seen this game. Everything is exactly the same. The player sees the colorful animation from the height and the viewpoint of the babies. This is an episode of the television show made interactive and is as much fun to watch as it is to play. Navigation is made easy by simply clicking your mouse on the various cursor shapes. The successful completion of various puzzles triggers short movies that advance the plot. You are made to feel as if you have actually entered the world of the Rugrats. This is one game where the pictures on the box can boast of truth in advertising. Every scene is crystal-clear, be it Tommy mischievously peering at you from between his legs or Angelica's wicked grin as she goads the babies. The wonderful animations receive an A.

The music and the sound effects are, like everything else in the game, directly from the television show. They are excellent as are all the familiar voices. If you were to walk by a room where you were unaware Rugrats was being played, you would honestly think that you were hearing the television show. The only thing I did miss was the familiar Rugrats theme song at the beginning of the game. This major oversight brings the grade for the music, sound effects and voices down to a B.

I cannot think of a better present to give a child to encourage computer skills and future adventure game playing than the Rugrats Adventure Game. It perfectly captures the essence and humor of the animated series. If, after clicking on Spike's water bowl in the kitchen and watching what Phil (or is it Lil?) does, you are not thoroughly enchanted with this game, then you are an old curmudgeon who needs to spend some time locked in the house watching a Rugrats marathon on Nickelodeon.

Final Grade: A

System Requirements:

PC:
Win9x
4X CD-ROM drive
Pentium 120 MHz or faster
16 MB RAM
55 MB free hard drive space
Super VGA (640x480 256-color)
Windows-compliant sound device
Video and sound card compatible with DirectX

Mac:
PMac
120 MHz or faster
16 MB RAM
50 MB free hard drive space
Super VGA (640x480 256-color)
4X or better CD-ROM drive
System 7.5 or higher