Disney's Tarzan

The Good
Remember the old Atari 2600 game "Jungle Hunt", where you ran and jumped over stuff, and had to swing from vine to vine to get to the end of the level?

Well, Tarzan is a GREATLY enhanced version of the game.

The gameplay looks and feels like a 3D platform (a la Super Mario 64), but with a restricted movement feel (a la Crash Bandicoot). So it looks 3D but it's a cover for a 2D platform game.

That aside, it is a technically good game.

The graphics are Disney, so they are top notch. Animation reminiscient of the "Aladdin" platformers, makes this game feel like you are playing the movie. Decent level design and some neat SFX tricks are all over this one. The level are stunning on a P233, although you need to play it in a window. Full screen causes some terrible slowdown, and make the game more difficult that it need be. Although the graphics are excellent, they also detract from the gameplay. (More on that later)

The sound/music is great. Whoever progammed the MIDI's for this knows music. I almost thought that the soundtrack was included, It's that good. The sound is decent, although there is not a lot you can do with monkey hoot and grunts.

The gameplay in general is unique. Remember the scenes from the movie with Tarzan "tree-surfing"? Those scenes are reproduced here, and personally, they sell the game. It's cool "surfing" the trees and jumping over (and ducking under) branches. Even the Stampede level is done well. It's reminds me of the Stampede scene from "The Lion King".

The levels themselves are fairly easy, although collecting all the "TARZAN" letters and the picture pieces can be difficult at times.

The Bad
As I said before, the graphics make this game. But also, the green/black look of the game has caused me to fall down more holes in the earth than I DARE count. A lot of memorization is required to figure out where the pits are.

Also, the control is not very intuitive, and if I'm not mistaken, you can't re-map the keys to suit your playing style.

The Bottom Line
All in all, Tarzan is a great game. Sure, it's geared for kids, but its a nice little platform game. If you liked the movie , you'll enjoy. If not, you'll get a kick out of the "tree-surfing" levels.