Review by: Neilie Johnson

As kids, most of us dreamed of ruling the world at the head of a mindless minion army (in fact, some of us are still dreaming of it) and puzzle game Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem—based on the animated film of the same name—makes that dream a reality.

Like the movie, the game follows the heated contest between super-villain-wannabes, Gru and Vector and each level represents a different location in the film. You play from the perspective of Gru, and like all evil puppet-masters, your job is beat your rival and make real your nefarious plans by pulling the strings of an army of loyal minions. Every dictator has a second in command and you start by choosing a primary minion to carry out your objectives. This primary minion's job is to get through each game level, successfully collecting whatever widget, gizmo or doohickey you currently have a yen for, then exit via a strategically-placed door.

This sounds easy but is surprisingly difficult. That's because neither Gru's lair nor Vector's lab would ever pass OSHA regulations, littered as they are with all manner of barriers, fires, holes, chemical leaks, spiked pits and dangerous creatures. Navigating these treacherous, multi-leveled environments takes thought, planning and lightning-fast reflexes. When a level starts, all minions are static. You activate your primary minion by tapping it with the stylus and once tapped, it never stops moving. It'll go up and down ladders, ride elevators, jump off ledges, bump into things and often, march smilingly goggle-eyed to its death. Manipulating your primary minion is challenging enough, but when you throw the various supporting minions into the mix, then you really have to multi-task.

In addition to the primary minion, each level also has other minions who can help the primary one by destroying dangerous enemies, shooting through walls, digging through floors, freezing water into ice and defying gravity. In addition to helping you, these little guys can also screw you royally just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, thus unwittingly sending your primary minion into the jaws of oblivion. Everything's in constant motion, sort of like a relentlessly ticking clock. And speaking of ticking clocks, you only have 60 to 90 seconds to orchestrate it all because every level is timed. Oh, and did I mention that at a certain point in the game, Gru starts randomly rotating the playing field 90 to 180 degrees? You may go into this “harmless kids' game” thinking it'll be all too easy but after say, half an hour you'll exclaim, “Holy minions—this is hard!”

As a clever puzzler, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem succeeds, but when it comes to serving its intended audience, (which is presumably, young kids) it misses the mark. The game's E for Everyone rating must be for subject matter, because its level of challenge puts it beyond the abilities of most kids under 12 and really demands a rating of E10+ or Teen. Older gamers however, and those of us with a love of intricate, thought-provoking puzzle games, (calling all P.B. Winterbottom fans!) are sure to enjoy what Minion Mayhem has to offer.

Neilie Johnson is a regular contributor to GameShark , as well as Atomicgamer.com and IGN and is an associate editor of the new GameFan Magazine.