Coinciding with the release of every Disney animated film is the plethora of promotional and merchandising tie-ins that are designed to either boost the movie's box-office take or add to its bottom line through sales. Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo is no different. Among the merchandise issued for this latest adventure is the video game for the PlayStation®2, appropriately named Finding Nemo.

Finding Nemo is described in the instruction manual as a "video game that brings all the excitement and adventure of the movie to your PlayStation2 computer entertainment system! Young Nemo is a little clownfish with a weak fin but lots of heart. When Nemo disobeys his father, Marlin, on his first day of school, Marlin and Dory have to overcome all sorts of obstacles to get Nemo home safe and sound. All three of them need your help to make it through their adventure, so don't let them down!"

Exclamation points aside, Finding Nemo does seem to be a fairly exciting game for beginning or intermediate gamers. There are some levels that seemed challenging to us but after passing them, it would be safe to say that more advanced gamers might find them too easy or even boring. Graphics and content make Finding Nemo worthy of the PlayStation2 platform but gameplay seemed more like a PSOne version.

The game is set up so that you learn skills in early levels that you will have to use later on in more challenging circumstances. Learning to go through bubble rings with no pressure will pay off when you have to hit similar rings to pass levels in the later stages. The most annoying part of Finding Nemo is when you have to perform the exact same challenge multiple times in a row. In the "Catch Dory" stage, Marlin actually has to chase Dory three different times to pass the level. Although it apparently was patterned after a scene in the movie, it was annoying to complete the challenge and immediately have to perform it again.

There are 18 levels total in the game - from "Going to School" to "Mount Wannahockaloogie" to "Fishing Net Rescue." Some levels are fairly short - we passed the "Anglefish Chase" in 1 minute, 41 seconds - while others are more detailed - it took us 45 minutes, 23 seconds to pass the "Jellyfish Race." Clips from the film are played throughout each level, which are really cute. We wound up learning a lot of the film's plot from these clips and gameplay, so if you want to be surprised at the movies, you might want to wait playing the game until after you've seen it.

We finished the game over the long Memorial Day weekend in about 5 1/2 hours total. After completing the game, we started a new one, trying to complete all the different challenges available in each level. You don't necessarily have to do everything in a level in order to pass it but if you collect all of the bonuses in a level, you'll have the opportunity to see artwork from the movie.

Below are our individual thoughts about Finding Nemo for the PlayStation2:

Kathy:

Without even seeing the movie but seeing all of the previews for Finding Nemo, when I saw the game in the store, I just knew I had to get it. I'm not a fan of games with a lot of fighting or games that are too difficult with a bunch of buttons to press to make something happen. So it was a welcome relief that it was fairly easy to play. I think the characters in Finding Nemo are just so cute. My favorite was when Nemo had to find objects hidden throughout his new aquarium home. It was fun because there was no time limit and there were no "enemies" after me. I could take my time and find things. I had so much fun playing Finding Nemo that I'm going to play it again and try to find all the bonuses.

Matthew:

I thought Finding Nemo was a cute game. I like to play video games, though I'm not the most skilled player. A couple of levels challenged me to the point of wanting to quit but after I figured them out, they really weren't that bad. It was my gameplay that was bad. I thought that too many of the levels were too similar - I got tired of either chasing or being chased - but I guess the gamemakers were limited by the storyline and the fact that these creatures are fish. Not that much a fish can do, I guess. It was interesting by watching the film clips how much of the movie seemed custom made to be a video game. Overall, I think some of the challenges might be too much for younger children but the game itself certainly isn't that challenging for those that play video games with any regularity. If you like the film, you'll probably enjoy being a part of the action. You should be able to complete it over a weekend, like we did.

For more about this game on the PlayStation2 and other gaming consoles, visit FindingNemoGame.com

Note: Specially marked packages contain a free movie admission certificate valued up to $6.50 to see Finding Nemo at participating theaters. The certificate expires June 30, 2003.

- Story by Kathy & Matthew Walker; Cover art ©Disney/Pixar
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