The Ice Age is ending and our subzero heroes return in this action adventure video game set in a melting paradise of water parks, geysers and tar pits. Manny the Mammoth, Sid the Sloth and Diego the Sabre-Toothed Tiger are back and realize that the melting glaciers will soon flood their valley. Fans will be able to join their favourite characters from the film, along with everyone's favourite sabre-toothed squirrel, Scrat, and embark on a mission across an increasingly dangerous landscape towards their salvation from a huge glacial dam that is about to break, threatening to flood the entire valley.

The Nintendo WII is definitely one of the most revolutionary consoles that truly gives gamers a different gaming experience with its wireless capabilities and remote control designed controller. With that said, Development companies have also jumped onboard creating new and unique games and Ice Age 2 the Meltdown is no exception to the rule.

Although Ice Age 2 the Meltdown has been out on other platforms for several months, the WII version features sharper visuals and gameplay that is truly suited to the console. Ice Age 2 the Meltdown follows the events of the film with gamers controlling Scrat, the sabre-toothed squirrel.

The gameplay features your traditional arcade action with the player controlling Scrat while interacting with the gaming environment and characters from the movie such as Manny and Diego. The gameplay is extremely reminiscent of the modern day 3D arcade platformer such as Ratchet & Clank and Super Mario 64 by jumping, fighting and solving missions in order to face your final challenge. Whether you're solving a mission for one of the characters or figuring out how to access inaccessible areas, it's all part of the fun of Ice Age 2 the Meltdown.

The control system of Ice Age 2 the Meltdown on the WII is perfect and the developers have really mapped out the controls perfectly that will allow the average younger gamer to pick this title up in no time. With this in mind, basic movement is controlled by the WII's nunchuck stick with the cameras being controlled by the WIImote. To jump, the A button, to attack, the B button, to talk/interact the C button and finally the Z button to change into first person view.

Where the game really comes into its own is when you are attacking characters in the game such as moving the WIImote to the side in order for Scrat to attack anyone foe that he faces. There are also a variety of other attacks that you can perform such as ground stomps and roll attacks. It should also be mentioned that as this title is aimed at the younger gamer, the violence is quite minimal with no characters dying, whether in the game or the making of the game.

Graphically, Ice Age 2 the Meltdown is slightly sharper than its console cousins that is extremely reminiscent of the movie with brilliant background environment and realistic characters that mimic their movie counterparts. The game also runs in widescreen (keep it up developers) and features a variety of entertaining clips from the movie.

As with the graphics, all the actors of the movies have reprised their roles for that first class professional voice acting experience starring Ray Romano (Manny), John Leguizamo (Sid) and Denis Leary (Diego). Even the built-in speaker of the WIImote is used for background ambience in the game. Great sound effects across the board.

In conclusion, Ice Age 2 the Meltdown is a great addition to the WII which most gamers will be able to finish in about 5 - 10 hours, maybe a little longer for the younger gamer who will definitely play this more than once. Great gameplay, great use of the WII system and great graphics, definitely a title recommended for the kids! Check it out!