While licensed games often receive a bad rap, it seems as though Disney is determined to prove that they are a company that doesn’t rely solely on the game’s title and starring characters to sell copies. Bolt continues the trend of good Disney film-based licensed games, especially lately with platforms such as the pretty fun Wall-E, offering something in the way of ingenuity and quality.

Blending a good mix of gameplay mechanics with excellent design and graphics and usually pretty humorous characters from the films often make Disney games more fun than your average licensed platform. With complex mazes, problem solving, and eye-hand coordination skills, these games are easy enough for a child to grasp yet become challenging enough for even a skilled gamer at times. Such games also offer a level of educational value with solid gaming elements without boring the player. While gamers who enjoy licensed titles are always skeptical about quality, for those who enjoy these types of children’s titles, Bolt is a good one to check out.

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It’s a game that combines several different styles of gaming into one fun package, with a mix of not only maneuvering through platforms and unlocking pathways, but a fair amount of action as well. For much of the game, you’ll play as Bolt. Whereas the film follows the life of dog-actor Bolt who believes he has super powers, the game takes place inside of the fictional TV series he stars in. This enables Bolt the game to be entirely its own entity without relying on cheesy tie-ins from the film, as you are set on a mission of defeating the evil Calico and his cronies.

Bolt the character acts as your powerhouse, with light and heavy attacks for button-mashing fun you can unleash on your worst oncoming attackers. The absence of intricate combo buttons and a detailed button setup is targeted at a young age group, and more mature gamers may find the mindless attacks to be boring and tedious while trying to complete various missions. But where platformers often don’t reward you enough for beating away cloned bad guys senseless as they run at you, this game has a power meter that builds up and lets you unleash super moves, which can help you defeat more difficult enemies later in the game. Bolt is also equipped with an eye laser and a super bark move that gives the little guy extra functionality. You'll have to use either move sparingly though, as your meter drains as you use them.