You've got to pity poor Scaler. Saddled with an absurd back story - young Bobby 'Scaler' Jenkins, lizard rights activist, is transformed into... a lizard! - and appearing in the wake of both Ratchet & Clank 3 and Jak 3, it's got the odds stacked against it. Not least because, at first glance, it's yet another identikit Day-Glo platformer. Stick with the badger-mad premise and initially derivative gameplay though, and you'll find something that, if not brilliant by any means, at least comes as something of a pleasant surprise.

Mainly this is down to a few entertaining gameplay twists. Naturally a large element of the game is all about collecting things - in this case, the terribly named Klokkies - and these can be traded for evolutions to better Scaler's performance. So you can plump for better claws or extra health, and so on. It's a welcome mechanic and one that means the game is, to a small extent, customisable, and the mindless collecting of Klokkies has a tangible in-game effect. The other decent idea concerns Scaler being able to transform into different creatures, each with a specific ability, be it camouflage, sniping, swimming, you get the idea.

Admittedly, this is no revolution but it does help Scaler transcend its otherwise innocuous platforming roots. True, it's better than you probably expected. But at the same time, it's never as good as it needs to be.

Graphics 70%
Hugely colourful with sprightly animation.

Sound 50%
Jaunty tunes and decent-ish voice-acting.

Gameplay 60%
Solid platforming with a few fresh touches.

Lifespan 60%
Ten big levels, but nothing too daunting.

Overall 60%
Destined to be overlooked in favour of bigger, better games, Scaler is nonetheless a pleasant slice of platforming.