Beneath its bright and breezy surface surface, Kingdom Hearts' gameplay has a dark side to challenge even the most experienced console adventurers.

The PlayStation 2 game is a joint effort between Squaresoft, the Japanese company behind the groundbreaking Final Fantasy series of role playing games, and Disney Interactive.

It brings together a strange cast of characters from both realms for a cartoon adventure.

But Simba, Donald Duck, Peter Pan and Jiminy Cricket can't disguise a dark undercurrent reminiscent of Disney's classic features, such as 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The star of the game is Sora, who, after being snatched away from his home on Destiny Island, discovers his future is to wield the Keyblade.

Although his only wish is to be reunited with his sweetheart Kairi in Traverse Town, he teams up with Donald Duck and Goofy, travelling from one Disney realm to the next battling game's baddies, the Heartless.

Gamers can expect lots of action but not blood and gore. Combat is a relatively simple affair at first but gets more complex as the game progresses.

Seasoned role-playing gamers will probably experience deja vu.

There's nothing too original here but they should still enjoy themselves.

Kingdom Heats is one of the best-looking PlayStation 2 releases ever.

Players will marvel at the sumptuous worlds it inhabits. However, players should prepare themselves for far too many interminable cut scenes.

The soundtrack is pretty impressive and features familiar voices, including Haley Joel Osmont (Sora), Robbie Benson (the Beast) and James Woods (Hades), although the music can grate.

The game has a strong plot, an endless supply of puzzles and a fair amount of button-based hack-and-slash combat.

It also displays an imaginative attention to detail missing from many of today's games.

Kingdom Hearts is not perfect but it will make a great buy for Disney and role-playing fans alike.

Price: £39.99.

Contact: www.kingdomhearts.com
Feel good factor: 8 out of 10