Hannah Montana: DVD Game (DVD)

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I have mixed feelings about the "Hannah Montana DVD Game," and it has nothing to do with my love (or lack of affection) for Miley Cyrus and her popular alter-ego--which, of course, is based on the Disney Channel hit show for pre-teens. My ambivalence has to do with the fact that there seem to be two types of video games out there--DVD bonus feature games and the kind of high-graphic, multi-level computer games that most 'tweens play on their hand-held devices. That generation of soon-to-be sore-thumbed kids needs to know that the "Hannah Montana DVD Game" isn't like those cool alternate reality games they've been playing when they probably should have been studying. It's like six one-or-more player DVD bonus feature games put onto one disc, with an additional five games that can only be played by multiple players.

Is it fair to judge this DVD against hand-held games? Probably not, except to say that the graphics could have been better in a number of them. This disc could well end up in a future "Hannah Montana" multi-disc "Malibu Dance Party" edition of the show, and so it makes more sense to rate it as if it were the "Bonus Features" section of a standard movie review.

The timing was actually right for me to have a look at this and the companion "High School Musical DVD Game," because my daughter turns seven and is having a party tomorrow, which means that my wife and I get to play the ultimate party game: figuring out how to hold the attention of 10 screaming, giggling, laughing, (did I mention screaming?) six- and seven-year-old girls for two whole hours. You parents know how this goes: the cake, that will take 20 minutes (nope, 15), the opening of presents should take another 20 (come on, are you kidding me?), and that leaves . . . CHAOS, unless you're well prepared to keep them focused on organized games and activities.

So I reviewed this disc with the party in mind. What my wife and I both decided was that it would probably be better to just push the furniture out of the way, pop in the "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Cocnert," and let 'em dance till they drop.

For one thing, this DVD game--even the multi-player options--might be fine for a small and better controlled group like a sleepover of no more than five girls, but for a larger group it's impractical. Before you even begin the game you have to select an identity from among the show's cast, and you can bet there'll be more than a few arguments over who gets to be Miley or her best friend, Lilly (Emily Osment), and who's stuck being one of the mean girls or, worse, the obnoxious Jackson or Rico. Or a fate worse than death, Hannah's DAD. "Ewwww!" (then screaming, followed by giggles and laughter . . . and more screaming). Most of the games require a few too many clicks to set up, and if kids get frustrated or they lose interest there's no "home" or "back" or "menu" button onscreen. They have to know enough to hit the remote "menu" button. I could already imagine the kids wandering off to do things while I tried to navigate.

Main Game is a Trivial Pursuit/Scene It trivia challenge for 1-4 players who need to be old enough to read or else have an adult in the room to assist. Parents who have to read each question and the options for their young ones will wish that a read-aloud option were provided. Each player will be asked 20 questions based on clips, quotes, pictures, and trivia from the TV show. Though we're told that the answer you select won't be highlighted so others can't see what you're choosing, what's worse is that two boxes at the bottom (an "x" or a check) become highlighted red or green to show whether the answer was correct. It won't take cheaters long to look at which arrow key a person seems to be playing and then watching for that light. Another flaw is that in apparently random shuffle I ended up with a duplicate question in my first 20, and that seems problematic. Also, by my count I got nine right, but when the game was over I got a screen that said something like "Keep Trying." That's it? No rating system? Nothing to tell me I'm a Hanna Montana monster if I get all of them right, or that I'm as phony as mean girls Amber and Ashley? It seemed a little shrug-of-shoulders to me, especially since this is the main game, meaning all the copyright stuff is crammed into this one feature. It's the most visually connected to the TV show, and as such I expected a little more at the end.

Dance Off tempted us for the party, because you could get the kids learning a few steps. After a Hannah screen announcing the game, there's another screen that allows you to choose your level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I have to say that even the beginner level moves at a brisk pace. Really little kids might get lost. Then another screen allows you to choose songs: "Nobody's Perfect" or "Rock Star." Then another screen makes you choose "Just Dance" or "Dance with Instructions." If you click the latter, you get a nine-square floor that shows the first of four sequences that will make up the routine. But there are so few steps before another screen pops up and asks you whether you want to repeat or move forward to the next step that if you have a large group we thought it gave them too much time to goof around as you fiddled with screen choices. As for graphics, there are two drawn curtains on the side, a shadow figure of a female above the squares, and a screensaver-style "shower" of stars that moves top to bottom on the screen. If you change your mind and want to get out, there's no way with the TV stand-alone player. On a computer you can just hit "menu" any time and get the menu. If you select intermediate level you get to choose from "Old Blue Jeans," "The Best of Both Worlds," and "Who Said." And if you pick the advanced level, the songs are "The Other Side of Me," "Pumpin' Up the Party," and "Life's What You Make It." Young wannabe rock stars will like this game, though hitting the remote so often kind of takes away from the flow of the activity--which to me is another flaw.