OVERALL RATING		3.5
Presentation		4.0
Control		3.5
Gameplay		3.0
Fun factor		3.5
User Rating		3.5

Based on the Dreamworks animated movie, Kung Fu Panda tells the story of Po, the clumsy Panda who, through pure determination and his hungry gut, ends up fulfilling an ancient prophecy.   With help from his sensei, and other memorable characters from the film, he’ll rise from laughing stock to venerable hero as he confronts the evil snow leopard Tai Lung and battles it out to retrieve the Dragon Scroll.

To successfully tie in the plot of the movie, the 10 stages are separated between action sequences for Po and Tai Lung.  This means that the player is able to view both sides of the story as they converge on the final act.  This also means that the player will take part in different types of action where Po is more likely to confront traps and other similar obstacles while Tai Lung, more often than not, does battle against his enemies.

Outside of the initial tutorial level where the different jumping/punching mechanics are taught, there are stages where paying attention to the time is crucial, others where precise jumping skills are needed, and still others where an overall command of the fighting technique is required.  These situations and settings are all inspired from the film and are blended well to move the story along.  From collecting dumplings to motivate Po’s training, to a climactic fight sequence between Tai Lung and a Kung Fu Master, there’s a nice variety of action.

Most of the moves can generally be controlled using only the D-pad but in a number of instances it’s best to use the keypad.  This comes in handy when trying to jump to different ledges or avoiding projectiles and though this might force you to use both hands, trust me, it’ll save a lot of aggravation. As for the fighting, each character has various moves and special moves to call upon, and they usually respond well.

A few items that really stand out from the game are the large character illustrations as well as the animations used.  They have some really nice detail to them and help the game evoke the film’s atmosphere.  The audio is also well done with strong music and sound effects, so if you’re a nut for good presentation, you’ll certainly get it here.

Kung Fu Panda appeals to its casual movie-going audience but it should also gain some interest from the more attentive gamer because of the inclusion of Paws of Power.  These Paw icons are located throughout the entire game, some hidden very nicely, and if all are collected, a cool feature is unlocked.  I won’t divulge what it is, but it adds a good element to the game play.  In any case, by providing the two story angles, a good variety in level action, the unlockable feature, and some decent fighting action, this game is surprisingly solid.