Snoopy vs. The Red Baron

Best For: Ages 10 and Up
ESRB Rating: E-10+ Everyone
Genre: Action Adventure
Available For: PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
# of Players: 1-2
Fun Factor: 4 out of 5

"Here's the World War I Flying Ace. . ." reading those words meant that we were in for another one of Snoopy's famous dream sequences and, sure enough, just 2-3 panels later, his little red doghouse was riddled with bullet holes. Must the evil Red Baron always win? Well, grab some frosty root beer 'cause here comes "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron," a flight action game that's completely accessible to kids and lets everybody's favorite pooch get his revenge! So climb into the pilot seat of your favorite doghouse and get ready to face the evil Red Baron and his notorious Flying Circus!

Available and fundamentally the same on the PC, PlayStation 2 (or PlayStation 3), and PlayStation Portable systems, the game features all of your favorite Peanuts characters, colorful graphics, terrific gameplay, and a whole lot of love and respect for the license. Snoopy's having a dream but this time he isn't flying his doghouse -- instead, players can buy planes beginning with an accurate looking Sopwith Camel and all of the Peanuts gang are incorporated into the story. Linus is your flight mechanic, Lucy is your tough-as-nails commanding officer (naturally), Woodstock is your co-pilot and missile-rider (more on that below), and Charlie Brown? -- well, he's cast as the janitor. Good grief!

The game plays great for all ages. WWI planes were slow and clumsy, and that means youngsters will be able to keep control of their planes. The graphics are colorful and vivid, the music is an appropriate combo of action tunes and soft Peanuts-style jazz, and the voices all sound like the TV specials. Expect a lot of humor, and the fun of sending Woodstock the bird on a missile mission. Fire a missile and you can use Woodstock to guide it for a limited amount of time. Hilarious! There's a main campaign with a string of missions as well as dogfights and races to choose from.

Parents take note: "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" features gunplay and explosions and that's probably why it got an E-10+ rating. However, it's important to note that every plane that blows up clearly shows its pilot parachuting to safety and the most disturbing sound effect is Snoopy's gloating garbled laughter after bringing a bad guy down. Don't expect a history lesson, but the game could lead to interesting conversations about WWI and early aviation. In terms of skills and reading required, some parents might want to buy this game for a younger (8 years or so) WWI Flying Ace.

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