As might be expected for someone with my hobby, I know a lot of folks who work in video game stores. How much they like their job varies from person to person, but there are a few things they can all agree upon: Standing all day really sucks. The Christmas rush is exhausting. One of the stupidest questions a customer can ask is, "What game is good for a four year old?" Selecting a game for anybody, regardless of age, is a crap shoot if they're a perfect stranger, but finding something appropriate for a child who hasn't even made it to first grade yet is an exercise in futility on the best of days. Well, rejoice, video game store representatives, for salvation is upon you in the form of Madagascar. Ok, it's not exactly salvation, but it is at least a decent answer to the question. As long as the four year old in question isn't exactly, you know, picky.

Madagascar is, surprise, surprise, a marketing tie-in with the recent movie release of the same name. The game loosely follows the action of the movie, which details the exploits of a bunch of zoo animals who accidentally end up…guess where? Go on, guess. That's right, Madagascar! Players can alternately take control of characters from the movie, including Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo, Melman the giraffe, and various and sundry penguins. Each animal has his or her own distinct abilities, like Alex's double jump or Melman's spinning attack, and although each level is tailored to the abilities of a specific animal, the general gameplay is largely the same no matter who's being used at the moment. Players must collect items and clear goals before moving on to the next level and the next animal. Objectives are always simple and clear cut, such as winning a race, cleaning all the garbage out of a pen, or jumping through a certain number of rings. Although each character starts with a very small list of moves or attack options, finding sets of power cards will earn them new abilities or increase the power of old abilities. It's pretty much platforming by numbers.

Monkey money is stashed in every level, and can be used at the Zoovenir Shop to buy silly things like hats, or minigames like the Lemur Rave and Tiki minigolf. Although they're a bit on the bare bones side, they're enjoyable little diversions from the rest of the gameplay, and players paying the smallest amount of attention to their surroundings will be able to find enough coins to unlock them pretty early on in the game. There's nothing more annoying than having to spend a fortune just to unlock a cool minigame, so the relative ease with which these can be acquired is appreciated.

Controls for everything are childishly simplistic, with each character using the same basic set up: one button jumps, one attacks, one does a special move, and one talks. That's it. Although it does make it easy to shift from one character to another, it robs the game of any real depth or complexity. Of course, Madagascar isn't trying to be Splinter Cell, so a simple control scheme isn't really such a bad thing. The controls are adequately responsive and the camera works well, though judging jumping distances can be a bit tricky sometimes, so expect to fall more than once.

Madagascar emulates its cinematic big brother's visual style, with its bright colors and chunky character design. The in-game animation isn't as smooth as one might expect, but the plot-advancing cinemas are cute and well done. (I'm personally a big fan of the squat little penguins. Adorable!) Considering the recent battle SAG has been having with the gaming industry, it's not terribly surprising that none of the actual cast from the movie provides voice work for the game, but the game doesn't suffer for it. The voices are close enough and the acting is appropriately cartoonish, so fans of the movie shouldn't feel too gypped by the substitution.

Despite spanning eleven different levels, Madagascar is a shockingly short game. Any gamer over the age of ten should expect to complete it in seven hours or less, and that's including the minigame replays. The level design is pretty clearly tailored for those with short attention spans, as each individual animal's section is no more than a few objectives long. Although it keeps gameplay varied and sets a brisk pace, it drastically shortens the overall length of the title.

Madagascar isn't going to win any awards, but it's a solid platformer meant for the very young gamers in the crowd. It's one of the most newbie-accessible titles released in recent memory, with its super-simple control scheme and bite-sized chunks of gameplay. It's not a dumbed-down game, it's just very, very basic, perfect for pint-sized gamers or folks who've never picked up a controller before in their lives. Seasoned gamers will find it to be far too easy and short, but it's certainly entertaining enough for a weekend's rental.