From the opening Monster Lab looks gorgeous alongside much of the current crop of Wii games. The graphics are somewhere between a Tim Burton production and Count Duckula animation, while the soundtrack of falling rain, creaking doors and haunting music all add to the atmosphere. Excited, you begin, your quest under the tutorship of the monocled Professor Fuseless. The in game tutorial takes you through the process of building your own monster and letting you explore the small villages you need to direct you monsters to liberate. Along the way prizes and bonuses supply ingredients to build up more aggressive and ingenious creations, all from your control centre. So far so good, but once it gets down to playing the actual game, the flaw in game momentum begins to appear.

It will always be the problem for games that aren't strictly built for the Wii, that if they don't make full use of its remarkable system then the user can feel let down. Monster Lab, also available for DS and the PlayStation 2, is an attempt to mix an RPG with puzzle solving skills and the occasional bit of beating the hell out of a monster. An RPG by its nature, doesn't lend itself to the fun of the Wiimote. Where Monster Lab utilises the technology is for a series of mini games, such as a welding task, which is like a buzz bar game, or the occasional driving-style game which involves tilting the Wiimote. And it is these sections that become welcome, although often too sparse, moments in the game. Most frustrating though, is the Pokemon fighting scenes. Lovely looking though they undeniable are, there is no hands on action. You choose your blows and watch as the monster wreaks havoc against the enemy. And it is always havoc: winning is very pretty easy. This is where the gameplay seems to be centered, again and again. As Monster Lab goes on there are more mini puzzles to overcome which offer respite from another fight, but the monotony of the fights is dull.

The actual building of the monsters is fun as you imagine, just as making you Mii is. Yet overall the repetition becomes wearing. Persistence does pay off, as later scenes vary more, but it seems too little too late. Novelty alone can't take you though the whole game. One for your ten-year-old brother, who will adore it.