A 'Night' to Remember: 'Night at the Museum' Video Game

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DEVELOPED BY THE now-defunct Brash Entertainment — the team behind the abysmal "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Space Chimps" games — "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" does something fairly surprising: It entertains.

While it doesn't break any new ground, it's a fairly solid adventure game aimed squarely at younger children.

The story generally follows that of the movie. Larry Daley (voiced by Ben Stiller) is now the head of Daley Devices, a successful company that manufactures and sells his inventions. But when he hears word that his friends (the reanimated wax statues at the museum) are about to be packed up and shipped off to the "Smithsonian," he decides to make a last visit.

In short order, a monkey steals a tablet, and the world is threatened by an evil Egyptian sorcerer named Kahmunrah and his henchmen, Al Capone, Ivan the Terrible and Napoleon. Now it's up to Larry to strap on the old flashlight and key chain, get back the tablet, and save the day … by collecting lots of stuff.

The primary goal is to recover all the pieces of the tablet, thereby gaining special abilities for your flashlight and key chain, which are then used to solve puzzles and get past obstacles.

Along the way, you'll collect coins, tickets, bubble gum wrappers, maps, trinkets, gears and more. Most of this is geared toward unlocking achievements (in the Xbox 360 version) and bonus items, however there are some cases in which you'll have to collect a number of items in order to proceed. Mix in a little platform-jumping and some vehicle sections, and you've got roughly four to five none-too-challenging hours of game play.

Designed with the Wii in mind, it's not mind-blowing in the looks or sound departments. That said, the graphics are bright and colorful, and the music is charming. One nice touch is that the displays at the various museums have collectible audio recordings filled with associated facts, while the loading screens have bits of trivia, adding an educational component to the experience.

"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" isn't the greatest game, but there are certainly worse ways for a child to spend a rainy afternoon.

» Available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Rated E for fantasy violence.

Photo courtesy Majesco