Animated movies are using more computers, so it's no surprise that computer games can feel more like movies these days. Barnyard does a really nice job bringing you to the farm and letting you "get your cow on." The graphics are top shelf, including neat particle effects from things floating around in the air. There are few seams showing in this 3D world and even fewer camera issues. The camera isn't perfect and has a tendency to need correcting from time to time. But show me a 3D camera that doesn't need correcting from time to time. The characters are exactly as you remember them from the film and there's even some voice acting to go with the good looks. I have a suspicion that the voice actors were paid by the minute or something because their snippets in the game are far too short. More spoken dialogue would have been a nice touch. Instead you get little teasers; "Oooh I'm gonna talk! --no, I'm just saying the first and last sentence..."

Included with the game is unlockable content from the movie which adds to replay value. Quite a few good animation sequences and stills are here to be opened up after playing the main game. The animation shows off actions each character makes during the film and the artwork for the film is showcased as well. Trailer content can be watched as well from this "Bonus" option in the main menu.

There is a trend on the Wii toward minigames and Barnyard finds itself feeding at the same trough as many other titles. The concept will work for another 3-6 months and then we'll all be looking for more than just collections of minigames that show off the Wii. I do like the way Barnyard plays, so we clearly haven't reached the point of no return.

Starting the game as a cow might seem limiting to you if you haven't seen the movie. As my son proclaimed: "Being a cow means you can do anything!" You can drive and ride a bicycle, cook and churn milk to make butter and cream. You can play golf, darts and billiards. There isn't much you can't do as a cow. Combine this frenzy of activity with a farm full of animals and you get Barnyard. Since you're the new cow on the block, you'll have to perform lots of favors and pull some crazy antics to be accepted. Some of the chores won't feel like chores at all and you'll find the best of these mini-games available for play from the main menu. Sure enough, they are labeled "Antics." Playing the game segments during Barnyard will earn you high scores and money you can use to buy things from the Gophers. Who are the Gophers anyway? A clandestine group shrouded in secrecy, my friends...

After the first few hours, you'll realize that Barnyard, for all its great gameplay, is somewhat repetitive. There is a "treasure hunt" quality to most missions that aren't bona fide mini-games. If these hunts happened over a larger area or involved more problem-solving, we might endure them without complaint. I realize that no game wants to show all its cards at once so the less exciting missions are good ways to kill time and collect points while exploring your surroundings. For the kids, it may be great to hunt a few times but I expect only the youngest ones will enjoy the third or fourth "find it!" mission. The best missions involve traveling around the world map on errands from the various characters you'll meet on the farm. Gathering food and drink stuffs is a nice ongoing treasure hunt that doesn't seem tedious because you also get to make the food and "mocktails." Yummy!

Barnyard is well balanced, for the most part. The Wii controls are used throughout the game and are intuitive enough to not require a steep learning curve. Gamers expecting arcade action may be a bit disappointed to find a fair amount of complexity. Learning and relearning the controls for each mini-game presents an interesting challenge. Fans of mini-game titles that only use a button or two will find that the Barnyard mini-games are sometimes more complex. There are also complexities in navigating the huge world in the game. Learning that water is a no-no was a matter of dunking my cow the first time and learning the hard way. Little notes stuck to trees around the world help to educate you on do's and don'ts of Barnyard. The manual that ships with the game is sparse on detail, so you'll want to explore and read the little hint notes in order to avoid frustration.

There isn't just one way to play the game since Barnyard is a collection of little games tacked onto a central story. Much of the game has you spending lots of time exploring on hoof or foot, as it were. The controls are simple enough, but a little twitchy for my taste. Especially the twist action on the Wii-mote, which had a tendency to just go into overdrive on me. Jumping can be accomplished using a button on the Nunchuk or by moving the whole thing up and down. Only in certain places will the Wii-mote have a similar use. Mostly the Wii-mote controls the third person camera and targeting. Almost everything you interact with uses the Wii-mote and some combination of the A button and an action. Smashing crates or other objects is the A-button plus a downward slash with Wii-mote. Reverse this motion to pick things up. Barnyard includes a nice BMX bike that pulls together all the motions and actions from the Wii-mote and the Nunchuk. You'll get the bike key early into the game; trust me when I say it's the only way to travel.

Fans of the movie will find a nice way to explore the Barnyard world here. The humor of the movie and the memorable characters all return for the game, including some voice acting and music. There is plenty of game to keep serious young gamers occupied and not make the rest of us feel like we just got the videogame equivalent of 3 box tops and $2.99... Less of the repetitive gameplay would have improved this jaunt, but what's here is well done and fun to play over again for points and ranking. A major omission is any type of multiplayer feature. Almost every one of the major mini-games would have been a blast to play against friends. With so many empty controller ports, it is easy to notice when the Wii isn't being fully utilized. Releasing a game with great potential doesn't just leave us wanting more, but makes us feel like something important was overlooked. If another chapter of Barnyard makes it to the shelf, it had better include room for more than one cow in the corral.