Wallace & Gromit’s television escapades are from an era of lost innocence: The moon could be made of cheese or a psychotic penguin could try and rob a museum. Aardman’s quirky plasticine characters have been a staple British-Christmas-afternoon feature for many years. You’d think three Oscars are enough, but no, Wallace and Gromit are embracing the twenty-first century and making the jump into digital space. Telltale Games (Sam and Max) are in charge of digitalising the lovable duo in the form of four adventure episodes. We’ve got our hands on the first: Wallace & Gromit in Fright of the Bumblebees.

Anyone who’s familiar with the pair will instantly feel as though they’re playing through one of the shows. For those new to the series, Wallace & Gromit Grand Adventures follows the antics of a polite, cardigan wearing man who’s accompanied by his silent, yet smarter dog. Wallace has a knack for inventing contraptions that usually end up going wrong, being stolen and generally causing havoc. This time around, the device is an ingenious ‘honey-delivery-service’ humorously known as ‘From Be to You.’ With an order for fifty gallons of honey for a local shop owner, you’re sent on your way to source enough flowers to stimulate your bees. Thrilling stuff.

It’s a charming experience thanks to the stereotypical voice acting you’ve come to expect from the series. Gromit’s eyes reveal all, while Wallace faffs about being rather pants. The dialogue feels as though it’s from the TV program and the cut scenes / ‘camera work’ gives the impression that you’re playing your own Wallace & Gromit adventure. In fact you are.

Gameplay (following a helpful tutorial for new players) involves moving your respective character, clicking on a variety of deliciously rendered ‘authentic W&G items’ and combining said items with light puzzle solving. The game’s definitely catering for those who aren’t that familiar with the genre, but the game’s charisma makes up for any sense of simplicity. You can’t stay mad or get frustrated when a cheeky squirrel steals your toast! Navigating the levels is simple (and it’s helped by lightening quick loading times) and everything’s laid out in a non-confusing manner. There’s a helpful hint system that appears if you’re stuck / spending too long on a particular puzzle.

We opted for the keyboard / mouse combination, but you’re welcome to use a control pad. Either method is good. The game’s engine is rock solid, and the game’s quirky theme tune makes a welcome appearance. Facial animation is competent, as is the voice acting.

The only major gripe would be the episode’s length. We’ve come to expect pint-sized games when they have the ‘episodic’ label attached, but we got through Fright of the Bumblebees in around four hours. That was with us taking our time, watching all the dialogue (which is skippable) and generally relaxing. Then again, Wallace & Gromit never appealed to the hardcore gamers clocking up the hours on Gears of War II. Old school with a shiny next-gen coat.

7/10

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