It's hard not to feel like a jump chump in most modern-day platforming games. Developers seem to have trouble coping with the very idea of 3D, of getting the camera and control spot-on, before they can even begin to plump their game out with cool toys and snazzy ideas.

Dr Muto, thankfully, isn't too much of a victim of the usual bandwagon-jumping that afflicts platformers, and manages to offer up a slightly fresh take on proceedings. But when we say fresh, we're talking more a hint of lemon than a complete rubdown in Colgate.

While Dr Muto doesn't put the 'ming' into platforming, it's not going to convert anyone to the cause. For a start, there's a checklist of clichés to put up with - pools of lava that need to be traversed with multi-jumps, sections of slidey ice to be navigated carefully, rocket boots propel you over the larger gaps... In fact, each of the four themed worlds, while sizeable, is like a museum of derivative locations that read like episodes of Friends - the one with the water, the one with the fire, the one with the technology, and the one with the final boss. Still, there's a variety of gadgets to be tinkered with, and by zapping certain creatures with your suitably mad genius gun (it's called a splizz) you can sample their DNA to morph yourself into a variety of mutations to help you overcome certain tasks.

But while Dr. Muto does seem to rely on the derivative, it's all put together surprisingly well. It's easy enough to play, camera problems are thin on the ground, and jumps are simple enough skips to perform. There's no ultra-frustrating unfair death syndrome here but, then again, there's nothing that inspired either. The dozens of tasks on each level are simple enough to fathom, but the execution of them feels a little bland. It's all tidy, decent stuff, but more functional than fun.

The visuals follow the same template: there's nothing prominently bad about the look of Dr. Muto, with large arenas, occasional polka dots of imaginative enemy design and no eyesores of note. But it does feel a tad drab and pale, wearing its multi-format roots a bit too clearly. It's a decent enough game, and there are no major flaws bar the sensation that you're just going through the motions. Collect that, pull this shoot that, ferry those things from here to there. What happened to platformers of old where tests of dexterity and exploration weren't equivalent to anodyne jaunts through themed worlds?

If you've played any recent platformers, you'll probably find Dr. Muto pleasant, but just not engaging. Imagine going back to Normal Halo difficulty after mastering Legendary mode; it's still a solid game, but one that offers little to immerse yourself in as you've already wrung out the majority of the goodness to be had. Then again, Xbox owners haven't got much choice when it comes to platformers of worthy note.

You've got this mad scientist, a crazy bandicoot or a Tasmanian Tiger. Not forgetting, of course, the slightly superior funk-a-bout ToeJam And Earl III. So, it's just a question of "Why have cotton when you can have a slightly different bit of cotton?"

1. Lots of world to explore
2. Hundreds of baubles to collect
3. Mutations are cool
4. Rarely frustrating

1. Too derivative in places
2. Not very pretty

Power
Middling visuals, but some large arenas and a framerate that never seems to chug.

Style
Dark, grubby and a bit drab. Fairly imaginative, except for the locations and crummy SFX.

Immersion
The myriad tasks on offer waver between truly entertaining and just plain dull. A mixed bag.

Lifespan
Dozens of levels to mooch through, but you won't bother hunting out every last collectible.

Summary
It's only really an enjoyable experience if you've not played loads of other cartoony platformers in your time.