As a quality indicator of the film, A Sries Of Unfortunate Events doesn't instil hope. It's brief, insultingly simple and almost entirely bereft of skill-driven and rewarding gameplay.

But then it's not meant for your experienced gamer. This is a game for the very young; detailing the exploits of Klaus, Violet and Sunny, three orphaned children in the clutches of their uncle, the evil Count Olaf. What this means, in practice, is exploring prescribed areas of Olaf's mansion and tackling tasks in a specific order, often inventing devices to help you, which in turn necessitates plenty of small fetch-quests to find the components you need. It's straightforward and utterly basic stuff; undemanding and unexciting.

And yet the game has atmosphere and charm in spades. The books that the film (and thus the game) are based on are peculiarly dark and witty, and the game's script reflects this splendidly, meaning that, on one level at least, you can get some enjoyment out of it. But even so, this in no way means that the game is worth forty of your hard-earned pounds.

We simply can't find it in our hearts to recommend A Series Of Unfortunate Events to you - unless you have a small child, in which case this may serve some purpose, because it means you can appreciate the good bits without actually having to play it.

Graphics 60%
Solid, and the house is nicely spooky.

Sound 70%
Pleasing voicework from Jim Carey

Gameplay 50%
Simple, signposted and very predictable.

Lifespan 40%
Short for adults, not too long for kids.

Overall 50%
Riddled with witty writing and excellent characters, but essentially it's short, easy and wholly unsurprising.