Although it might sound obvious, it’s worth pointing out that Spiderwick is a children’s brand, and a mighty successful one at that. Approaching the film tie-in with this in mind makes it quite reasonable to forgive many of the gameplay shortcomings, and opens the experience up to some light, engaging escapism.

One of the real problems licenses suffer from is schizophrenia - they attempt to encompass the cross-genre events of the movie, and in doing so, fail to provide a stable, coherent gameplay mechanic. Whether by chance or design (I suspect a little of both) Spiderwick avoids this initial franchise pit-fall; immediately establishing itself as an explorative adventure game, then sticking ardently to that genre’s remit throughout.

A detailed and in-depth adventure game for kids might yet prove an unpopular concept (only sales figures and bargain bins will tell), as maintaining a youthful attention span in such a lengthy tome as this could prove tricky. Sierra’s vast experience with movie tie-ins suggest it’s probably done its research (as does the rather sugary difficult level) so right from the outset Spiderwick harbors a lot of promise to anyone interested in expanding their kid’s gaming horizons.

Jumping straight into the story as the Grace family move into their eccentric uncle’s dilapidated Spiderwick Estate, the adventure kicks off precisely as it intends to go on. Beginning in the shoes of the inquisitive Jarod, players are invited to explore this new house and its grounds; quickly learning the simple controls, explorative gameplay and inciting incident of the plot. Old Man Spiderwick, it seems, discovered the hidden mystical world of goblins, fairies and ogres surrounding us all - as does Jarod as he discovers his great uncle’s field journal of the mystical world.

Learning the lay of the Estate forms the crux of the introductory quest, coupled with the gathering of specific objects required to progress the story to the point at which the mystical world is uncovered. Contact is made with a friendly sprite, and the concept of changing characters depending on the quest at hand comes into play.

Naturally (as with all good adventure games) the story is quite pivotal, so I’m not going to spoil it here. Suffice to say that, if like me, this game is your first encounter with the Spiderwick mythology the storyline is engrossing, progressive and well told - so at no point does it rely on a supplementary, external knowledge to properly enjoy the unfolding events.

Despite being a kid’s game through and through, there’s a distinct impression that Sierra has implemented a system presumably intended to make the protracted and detailed game as youthfully accessible as possible. Unfortunately, it appears to have gone a little too far, and tends to micro-manage each quest to the point that players are simply told which item to collect next, and at no point are they required to fathom the solutions personally.

Even the many objects (which are ostentatiously highlighted, making locating them altogether too easy) can only be picked up when required by the expository quest. Several of the character moves are also directed automatically, such as jumping, which further expounds the game’s sensation of the player not being entirely in control. This expository nature lets the Spiderwick Chronicles down considerably, as even the most fundamental cerebral challenges are a necessary part of an absorbing adventure game. Underestimating a young audience is a common problem in the entertainment industry and it’s a damn shame to finally see a decent film tie-in shackled by an overly pandering nature.

Still, the rest of the game excels at what it attempts to achieve; from sharp, crystal clear graphics to decent voice acting and dynamically varied gameplay. The occasional acute jump in difficulty and repetitive environments can cause their share of frustration, but the impressively prolonged sense of thoroughly engaging exploration (both physical and in terms of story) will generally win out over any temptations to give up.

The individual talents of each character, and the items they possess and put into good use (the goblin repellent-filled super soaker is a particular favourite) keep the pot bubbling along nicely, while the decent variance in each of their stories just manages to keep the interest levels high enough to push players ever onwards.

The ending doesn’t quite award players as well as it might (and, in fact, might leave the younger audience a little despondent), though right up until that culminating point the Spiderwick Chronicles builds amicably on the sense of achievement. If developer Stormfront hadn’t been quite so willing to compromise on so many gameplay points, Spiderwick could really have broken the caste for disastrous movie tie-ins. As it is, this game is a very worthy adventure/RPG addition to the burgeoning Spiderwick folklore, and fans of children’s fantasy won’t have to work very hard to wring considerable enjoyment from these well painted pixels.