So much for topicality, then. If we were releasing a platform romp starring two trick-or-treating kids and a bunch of skeletons, witches and werewolves, we'd make damn sure it was released in time for Halloween. But no, just as everyone is getting into the Christmas spirit, Wanadoo is releasing spirits of the paranormal kind.

The story of Castleween centres around two little kids dressed up as a devil (Greg) and a witch (Alicia). The aim of the game is to rescue your trapped friends from the world of the dead - the perfect cue to unleash a bunch of slavering baddies straight out of a particularly scary episode of Scooby-Doo. Except that none of these monsters pull their faces off to reveal a bad-tempered janitor. Along the way, you collect sparks which allow you to switch between the two characters and overcome certain obstacles that need either Greg's fire magic, or Alicia's ice magic.

Castleween looks lush, but the pleasure is short-lived. It's an old-skool platformer in the worst sense, with instant death frustratingly common, sending you back to the lack checkpoint. Yet, as a whole, the game is too short (we ripped through its 11 levels extremely quickly) with little in the way of extras to tempt further plays. The closest comparison is Rayman Revolution - a considerably older game that still offers more secrets and surprises. Castleween is relatively fun while it lasts, but when there are so many better platformers around, its appeal is inevitably limited.

Run-of-the-mill platformer. Nice in places, but doesn't compare with better examples of the genre.

1. The colourful environments and suitably spooky.

1. Too short and simplistic compared to its rivals.