When I saw commercials for the original Lilo & Stitch movie years back, somehow I knew four years later I'd be playing a kids game based on it, on the least powerful system on the market, against my will. How did I know? It's Disney we're talking about! Big theatrical movie, direct-to-video sequel that fails to live up to the original, immediately followed by a cartoon show on The Disney Channel, filled only with adverts for Disney's other movies they've done the exact same thing with and video games based on these franchises. I don't know how, but somehow they squeeze in Game Boy games based on every one of these movies/videos/shows. All of them!

And one is never enough! 2002's Lilo & Stitch for the Game Boy Advance might have seemed like a good offering, but like Kim Possible and That's So Raven, you can't just stop there. Churn those puppies out like Raven churns out the phrase "Oh Snap!" every five minutes! Okay, my harshness is a bit undeserved perhaps; Lilo & Stitch 2 - oh sorry, I mean Disney's Lilo & Stitch 2 - is not a bad platform game, at least not as bad you might expect it to be. It actually has a lot going for the kiddies out there, but the story isn't one of those things.

Or maybe it is - in all honestly I have no idea what the heck the story is supposed to be saying. It's told from screenshots of the TV show with hard to read text bubbles and I'm sure kids will probably get it, but I'm at a complete loss. Funny how I can play all the Metal Gear games and be in awe at the amazing and complex story, yet I can't grasp Lilo & Stitch!

The gameplay, however, I can definitely grasp. Lilo & Stitch is three games in one, in a sense. The first is a platform shooter, where you play as Stitch through a side-scrolling adventure, the second is a platform puzzle game featuring the other eponymous character Lilo, with the help of other 'experiments', or Stitch's relatives in other words. Both modes make use of these other characters in a lot of ways; Stitch uses them for special attacks and with Lilo you have to actually switch to the character and control them to get beyond specific points, as all Lilo can do is pull switches and climb ledges. The downside of this is that once you use them, they end up staying where they are when you switch back to Lilo, meaning you'll have to go through the level twice essentially... it gets a bit tedious, but compliments Stitch's levels well. A nice touch is the level selection, which allows players to go back and replay beaten levels in an attempt to get a higher score or find things they might've missed.

The third style of gameplay is a drab racing mode where you can't actually die, you just get shot and slowed up. They take a long time and don't offer much bang for the buck, dragging the game down instead of mixing the gameplay up like they're trying to do. I will admit however that these sections look stunning for a GBA title; in fact, it's probably the best looking third person racing experience you can find on the handheld.

The rest of the graphics aren't quite as stunning, but do look good nonetheless. Varied and colourful backdrops mesh well with the usually very fluid on-screen characters; everything looks about as good as you can get on the Game Boy Advance. Featuring forgettable music and sound effects, I can't say the same about the sound; in fact, I can't even recall hearing Stitch's signature grunts and blurbs that he makes. Like most GBA titles, the sound compelled me to simply turn it off and stick on some completely out of place hard rock to go with it instead!

For the older audience out there, Lilo & Stitch 2 is a pass, even if you love the franchise or platform games... there are simply better ones available. But for the kiddies who adore everything Disney puts out, this is a surprisingly well done and deep title that will keep them coming back, with varied gameplay, and of course all those loveable, quirky characters (which the game actually does make good use of.) If you're not sure what to pick up your youngster but want to surprise them with a nice safe game then you'll do well with Disney's Lilo & Stitch 2. I guess all those licensed games they put out constantly do have a good purpose after all!

Reviewed by Christopher Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).