What's interesting about this particular game from Avalanche is that it really targets its age group without dumbing the gameplay down too much. Sure all three characters' and their respective forms of combat are simplified a bit, but the game presents challenges that kids ages 8 - 10 and beyond will find fun. That's not to say that adults can't enjoy Ace in Action, just that developer Avalanche has done a nice job of delivering a game that its target audience might actually want to play.

In the looks department, Ace in Action does a good enough job of serving up levels that look great but are far removed from anything next-generation. The worlds tend to offer characters, effects and objects that are bright and colorful contrasted by dark enviornments and enemies. The worlds are relatively detailed and packed with an assortment of architecture and objects that work well in the context of the game. Ace in Action looks better than a lot of kid-centric games on the market for Christmas, and that's saying a lot.

From a presentation stand-point BVG really delivered the stars - the game features the voice talent of Joan Cusack, Steve Zahn, Zach Braff and Adams West. The voice acting, which is interspersed in cutscenes before and after each level as well as during gameplay, is pretty solid and does a great job of building on the source material it is based on.

At the end of the day we have to give credit to BVG and Avalanche for delivering a game that even adults can stomach - that's a pretty rare thing these days when the target audience is 6 10+ years old. The game offers a nice mix of action, interesting characters and a light but fun storyline that compliments the popular film its based on. But what Ace in Action does the best is target the audience it is for, delivering gameplay that is challenging but liberal in how it handles player failure.