The Hobbit

Regarding courage points and treasures, there are a specific number of each per level. Courage points can be collected to increase your maximum health capacity, and treasures sometimes hold essential weapon upgrades. This sets a challenge which takes away from the story and enjoyment of the game; you have the added pressure of getting every last treasure chest in each level, many of which are well hidden.

Getting every last item isn't a requirement, but judging from posts on various gaming message boards, I'm not the only person who feels inclined to get perfect scores. What's worse, most levels actually set road-blocks along the way so you cannot backtrack if you miss a chest. Plus, once you complete a level there's no going back. This game is unusually linear for an action-adventure title, perhaps due to the designers desire to stick to the confinements of the book. One level is equivalent to one chapter in the book.

The courage-point system is further complicated by the limitations of the saving system. You have to save the game very frequently because it's terribly easy to die, (especially by falling to your doom ... I guess poor Bilbo has a weak bone structure). If you die, you automatically start off at the previous save point, and any progress you had made, enemies you killed, or points you collected are all lost. Thus I find myself acquiring one courage point in a tricky location, and then rushing back to a crystal pedistal and saving the game, and then repeating the process one courage point at a time. It's just not fun playing in such an obssessive manner.

From reading reviews I was expecting more of a Zelda atmosphere, where you could at least backtrack within levels to explore, and you wouldn't have to be paranoid about loosing all your hard work every few seconds by misjudging a jump barely 3 feet off the ground due to the unfortunately-limited control of the camera angles.

If you enjoy the challenge of thorough hide-and-seek, or if you're relaxed enough to let missing treasure chests slide, then do check out The Hobbit. It really has some great elements, combined with a Mario meets Link design of sword slinging and platform jumping. The retelling of the book is an enjoyable touch (though certain artistic liberties were definitely taken throughout), with illustrations and narration bridging each chapter. Plus the soundtrack is one of the most amazing and unique I've ever heard. There are a couple accoustic guitar tracks, some Celtic music, and a bunch of other songs and instruments you've probably never heard in a game before Bilbo came to town. It is fully orchestrated, and well timed with the scenes and events of the game. I wish they would release a CD of the game music!

I hope my ranting review helps,
R.P.