One of the most innovative games of 2011 is back with Skylanders Giants! The idea of the original Skylanders was ingenious, combine action figures with a video game via a special "Portal of Power" and voila... you had a true interactive gaming experience with the real world. Best of all, the action figures that came with Skylanders looked impressive and additional toys could be purchased with each figure having different powers and abilities that affected the overall gameplay.

The Portal of Power was the key to Skylanders and by placing your action figure on the portal, your character appeared in the video game. You could also change figures at any time and best of all, the game supported a local two player which means that by placing two figures on the portal, you and a friend could both play together. Of course competitive play in Giants allows you to pit Skylander against Skylander for some classic Pokémon gaming. Giants features a new drop in mode as well which means if you're friends are over, they can join in my putting their Skylanders on your portal of power.

In this current game, giants once roamed the Skylands but were banished to Earth. Unfortunately a new threat has come to the Skylands which require the giants to return as players embark on another battle of good versus evil. Unlike the previous Skylanders figures, the Giants are considerable larger. Fights seem more massive in Skylanders Giants, especially with the inclusion of "Wow Pows" which are over the top manoeuvres that look quite impressive.

The goal of the game is to defeat Kaos who has summoned the ancient robots called the Arkeyans back to the Skylands in order to conquer these floating islands which is where the giants come into play. Although the story is quite clichéd, it actually suits the premise of these strange creatures going man-to-man... well... monster-to-monster. Giants are also quite powerful in Skylanders as they can smash their way through walls and buildings.

If you don't own the previous Skylanders game which includes the portal of power, you can purchase the Skylanders Giants Starter Pack which includes the game, 2 Skylander Figures, 1 Skylander Giant Figure and the portal of power. It should also be noted that no knowledge of the previous game is required to play Giants and there is somewhat of a tutorial to new players.

The game supports three levels difficulty, however if you have played the previous game, all the levelling up and statistics of your Skylanders will be transferred to the new game and the level cap has been increased to 15. The powers of the Skylanders are linked to the eight elements that include air, life, undead, earth, fire, water, magic and tech. Just like Pokémon, by collecting more Skylanders, you do become more powerful and as mentioned, each have their pros and cons that must be swapped and changed to gain victory over your enemies and environments that you explore.

At its core, Skylanders Giants is an arcade action adventure game which transforms players into the portal master who has the ability to transport the Skylanders and Giants into the gameplay. Imagine Diablo meets Saturday morning Disney cartoon. That is what Skylanders is like.

When you put your Skylander or Giant on the portal, these creatures become your avatar as explore these wondrous worlds, completing objectives, searching for items/power-ups and fighting the various enemies that you engage in. There's also plenty of puzzles to engage in which must be solved in order to proceed. Thankfully these puzzles are not overtly difficult but I must say, there were a couple that had us stumped.

Apart from fighting and exploring, you also need to improve the statistics of your Skylanders and Giants. This is done at the Dreadyacht, a powerful flying ship led by the charismatic Cap'n Flynn. On the Dreadyacht, you can upgrade your Skylanders and embark in some fun mini-games to give you a rest from the main campaign.

Controls are quite decent with the PS3 controller and most gamers should have no issues in mastering the game, even with the interactive nature of the Portal of Power, although there is an element of grinding. The only downside to the game is the amount of figures that Activision have released with over 20 figurines available to play in the current game which could be quite pricey if you purchased them all. There's also lightcore characters which glow when placed on the Portal of Power but hey... it's all about marketing and franchise here.

Graphics/Audio

Graphically, Skylanders Giants is a decent looking game on the PS3 that looks like a cartoon come to life. Characters are modelled and animated well with background environments looking like some magical world that helps with the immersion factor of the game. Add in some great special effects, especially for your Skylanders plus lighting and this is quite a professional looking game in that regard. Music and sound effects compliment the graphics and gameplay which will keep most kids coming back again and again to this game, especially with the ability to collect new Skylanders to play.

Key Features

• Giant Skylanders are super size and have super powers

• LightCore™ Skylanders light up when placed on the Portal of Power® and have special LightCore™ powers

• Back and better than ever, Series 2 Skylanders are returning from Skylanders Spyro's Adventure with new "Wow Pow" power upgrades and increased level cap

• In addition to the above new Skylanders, there are alsoBrand New Skylanders launching with Skylanders Giants.

Final Thoughts?

If your kids loved the original Skylanders game, than they will love this new incarnation of the series as Giants adds new characters, abilities and worlds to this franchise. With almost flawless gameplay, a great control system and some really decent looking action figures, there's very little to complain about this game. Recommended!