I'm the new cow on the scene - I'm a bull. I'm the Barnyard newbie, but fortunately, everybody in the Yard has been nice to me so far. There's Otis, the super-cool, super-friendly fellow cow, he gave me the keys to his bicycle a few hours ago, and then there's Ben, I think that's Otis's father - he's a little more stern, keeping watch over the other animals, but he seems to have given me some good advice. I've just talked to Pig, he baked me an apple pie as a welcome gift, yum - but look at that little hen over there - she wants my help because she's lost all her eggs! I can see me, Dexy the Bull, fitting in really nicely here!

I was really shocked to discover that I had udders, seeing as I'm a male and I'm not supposed to produce milk - but Otis gave me these sunglasses and boy do I look cool. They act as a disguise too, so I can shoot milk at any of the other animals without getting into trouble. Of course, I'll only use my milk shooting for the forces of good, but it's always nice to shoot milk at people when need be. I'm still a little disgruntled at the fact that I actually have udders though. Moo!

As I walk around the farmyard, I can see fellow animals with little exclamation points above their head. This means they need help - I just helped that hen reclaim her eggs and the pig, well, he only baked me an apple pie after I got him the ingredients! Can you believe how cheeky that is? Helping people is easy and missions normally consist of finding things or running from here to there to deliver a message. They're not always terribly exciting, but sometimes you can discover new things by helping other animals. For example, Ben just gave me the keys to leave the Barnyard for being so helpful, so I could venture to other parts of the farm on my bike - such as Gofer Hill, or the Vegetable Patch. But it's getting dark now, so I'd better sleep. When I sleep, the moon goes down, the sun comes up and it's light again. I love the light. And I love grass. However, I found a note stapled to a tree that tells me some animals come out at night to give cows like me missions. Maybe it's worth checking out at some point!

I enjoy my freedom, riding around the open-ended farm, admiring the sights. It's nice to be able to see how my friends are doing though - they send me text messages on my mobile phone from time to time. Yes, I know what you're thinking, cows can't work mobile phones, but you're wrong, you SWINE! And yes, we have a sense of humour too! My friends, the dog called Duke, Pig, Otis who I've been telling you about, they all message me, sometimes to give me tips, other times to say goodnight, or maybe they need my help!

I've never played Grand Theft Auto but the Gofers tell me that this open-ended Barnyard is similar in some respects! I mean, it's quite a huge farm with loads of hidden things to find and there are many areas to explore. Some areas are home to new animals, others to townsfolk, all of whom I talk to and try to help too. I can also drive the car when the farmer is asleep, or even man an apple turret to shoot things! I'm such a rebel cow! The little mouse also tells me that Barnyard reminds him of Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing, or even The Sims 2 - he's a fan of simulation games you know! He says that the day and night system is quite similar to Harvest Moon, although I disagree, because in Barnyard if I take on a mission in the day and it crosses over to night, I fail the mission. The same goes for night time missions when entering the day - you don't have long to get your jobs done! However, he's right about the Animal Crossing comparison I think; I have my own little pad that I've decorated with my own items that I've bought by earning money like you would in the console version of The Sims 2 - completing mini games for coins that can be spent at the Gofer shops.

It's true, there are a lot of mini games in Barnyard. Just the other day I went on a Bike Ride and then me, Pig and a few others played a mud pipe dodging game. The pipe went around and you either had to kick it away, in the other direction, or you had to jump and dodge it. If you got hit by the pipe you'd be knocked into the mud and the last one standing is a big rotten egg - ha, the hen sometimes lays them!

The animals around the farmyard don't really talk as much as I'd like them to. Sometimes they'll open up with a familiar phrase and say goodbye with one too, but in between, I actually have to read what they say! You wondered how we animals communicate, well, it's by putting the subtitles on and just reading! It's a shame the animals don't talk more beyond the phrases though. There's always some kind of music playing, sometimes it sounds like barn dance music and sometimes it sounds just like a folk farm song, the music always keeps my ears occupied though and keeps my mind off the slaughterhouse, which I'll be visiting one day no doubt! The farmyard looks very well rendered, all very in keeping with the film they made about me - which should be at the cinemas now! The animations are quite nice, especially when I dance, and all in all it's great to have an open-ended game with juvenile visuals to keep the younger audience lost in a familiar environment.

There could have been a lot more in the Barnyard to keep my entertained, sometimes I get tired of helping people - mud wrestling would have been fun, or some type of multiplayer mode, where my friends could accompany me on a bike ride! Still, the open ended gameplay, the mini games and a mobile phone to call my own all contribute to a good time, especially if you've seen me in the film beforehand. Come join me at the Barnyard and share some of this apple pie Pig made. It's disgusting!

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).