Okay, I'll admit it - I haven't read Eragon, although I'd heard of the book more than a few times since its release. Heck, I'm so busy playing and appreciating games that I don't read as much fantasy as I used to. A guy's gotta have his priorities, right? Still, I have a list of favorite developers that I always keep an eye out for new games from and as soon as I heard Stormfront Studios was on the Eragon game, I had to get my hands on it. A quick request and a few days later, a build of the Xbox version was in my eager little hands and I got to play though what's turned out to be a pretty thrilling blast of licensed goodness. Featuring single or co-op play, stunning stylized cut scenes and Stormfront's trademark attention to detail, what's here should do quite well in leading gamers into theaters, especially as the game arrives in stores about a month before the film is released. Action fans should be pleased with the dynamic battle scenes and there's plenty of eye candy here, thanks to the gorgeous visuals and stylized cinematics throughout.

Without giving away too much of the plot, you play as Eragon, a young lad who ends up with a flying, fire-breathing blue dragon and some powerful magic skills by game's end. He also becomes a master swordsman and archer by teaming up with a hermit named Brom, portrayed in the film by Jeremy Irons. The actor lent his likeness but not his voice to the project; however, the sound-alike does a fine job. New face Edward Speleers is here visually and vocally as Eragon, as is Sienna Guillory as Arya and a few other talented thespians that add to the solid sound design. The game is mostly fast-paced and mission based, featuring combat-heavy action with hundreds of enemies to dispatch on some maps. Two players can tackle the game simultaneously in co-op, but even in solo play your AI partner can protect himself well enough from pretty much any onslaught.

At the beginning, a simple tutorial covers movement, basic sword combos and archery skills, while also showing off the third person camera angles. Like The Two Towers and Demon Stone, there's no camera control here - the viewpoint varies between locked and floating follow-cam modes. Sometimes you're fighting off in the distance in the more expansive areas, while in other maps you're confined to a small room taking on a pack of armed guards. One helpful assist here is that you and your AI buddy (or a real second player) have a nifty targeting reticule that lets you attack enemies off screen, making picking off baddies a breeze. There are a few awkward transitions where you run into a doorway and the controls reverse as the view changes, but that's when you put the brakes on, readjust and move on. Combat relies on using combo moves with the A and B buttons, while X blocks and Y jumps. You can also use a bow on enemies by pulling the R trigger to draw, then A to fire. Holding A down betters your aim, allowing one-shot kills on most standard enemies.

You'll also get to learn and use telekinesis and fire magic, as well as shoot magic arrows. Here you'll need to let your magic bar recharge between uses, which makes for some tricky strategic moments when you've got foes coming from multiple directions. Do you try to fire off a crowd-clearing magic arrow at the four giants barreling toward you or do you use a fireball to pick off the archer raining down pain from a few dozen yards away? The great thing is that switching from swordplay to arrows to magic is instantaneous, great for keeping the pace of the game flowing. There are a few 'stealth' missions that have you and Brom sneaking through an enemy-controlled village and later a fort, but if you want to (or are feeling incredibly lucky), you can just whip out your sword and take on a whole lot of guards for kicks.

In addition to the two-player combat levels, there are three solo missions where you get to fly on Saphira, the blue fire-breathing dragon. These levels are quite thrilling visually and don't wear out their welcome in terms of length. While you're not in true free flight mode like in Surreal's wonderful Drakan: The Ancients' Gates on the PS2, Stormfront has done a really fine job of bringing the dynamic look and feel of dragon flight with simplified controls that anyone can pick up. Given that movie-based games are made to appeal partially to people who probably don't play video games all that much, if at all, the developer has done a solid job throughout in terms of instructing players how to pull off moves and keep the game constantly moving.

Graphically, there's a lot going on here and it all looks very nice indeed. Since this is a cross-platform title, the character models reflect this somewhat, but you'll see some great moves and even a cool camera zoom or a slow motion effect when you do certain combo attacks, while the varied (and excellently rendered) environments are amazing. I was impressed when I played a few levels from the Xbox 360 version of the game at this year's DigitalLife show a week ago, but the current gen version is no slouch at all; while it doesn't sport the glossier high resolution of its 360 counterpart, what is here looks outstanding. The varied environments are richly detailed and lit realistically, showing off Stormfront's attention to detail. The team that worked on the game has expanded and enhanced environments from the film without using a single bit of movie footage. Additionally, the between chapter cut scenes are awesome, combining 2D and 3D imagery, assorted film stock effects and some dynamic editing throughout. The in-engine scenes that flow into gameplay are more straightforward, but seeing the different styles come together really makes the game a work of art.

Eragon's sound production is equally impressive, as Stormfront really went town when designing the audio. From the superb score to the film-quality effects and voice acting, there's a lot to hear as you're playing. When you listen past the assorted battle cries and dialog sequences, the ambient sounds and assorted weapon effects also do a solid job of carrying the game along. There's a glut of 'making of' videos to unlock by finding a hidden dragon egg in each stage - some of these eggs are easy to spot, while others require some deft controller work and a careful eye. This leads to my one complaint about the game - those moments where you're tasked with guiding your avatar over narrow beams. Since you can't adjust the camera, you'd best have a ton of patience and a steady hand, or a controller that's got a tight analog stick; a combo-weary claw or too-loose stick will cause you to fall if you try to move too quickly. Fortunately, you won't take damage (except in one area) and there are only three very brief sections where you need to be slow yet nimble.

With Eragon set to hit all current consoles and handhelds (sorry potential PS3 and Wii owners), it'll be interesting to see and play the portable versions of the game to find out if they're as stylish and fun as what's here. Stormfront is doing some really super work with licensed fantasy properties, as each of their past licensed titles have gone on to gain them more and more fans. While I haven't seen much about the film save for the trailer, the game just might get me to the theater. We'll fly back here next month with a full review of Eragon, so be sure to drop back in for the final verdict.

Previewed by Greg Wilcox for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).