PK Phantom Duck

Few people in the UK will have heard of Donald Duck's alter ego PK Phantom Duck (oddly the PK stands for platyrhynchos kineticus, apparently meaning 'energised duck'). He began life as a comic book spin off in Italy and promptly spread like wildfire throughout Europe, where Donald Duck was evidently seen as a feathered harbinger of vigilante justice as opposed to the ill-tempered, incomprehensible, disaster prone, trouser-less fool that we so love in the UK and the US.

And so, seated in the heart of Europe the Munich-based Living Mobile is well placed to delicately work this franchise (which despite being part of the Disney canon, has achieved a cult-like status) into a game the fans will approve of.

The story goes that in PK's hometown, Duckburg, the Beagle Boys and their criminal mastermind grandmother, Ma Beagle, have set the town's security robots running amok for their own nefarious gains. You'll never guess whose job it is to restore order and thwart their evil schemes...

It's a paper thin of course, but then that suits this game as the plot is relayed stylishly through as series of comic book frames that bookend the levels. As for the action itself, PK Phantom Duck is a heady but balanced mix of platforming staples. You can climb walls, you can glide, you can encase yourself in a floating bubble and you can, of course, jump.

On the offensive side, you can possess the evil robots to work for you, you can jump on the enemies' heads, and you can make use of your trusty blaster. Your blaster has a different function on each level, starting as a simple stun gun (with rebounding bullets) and evolving through various functions including one in which you can encase enemies in bubbles so that they float away.

Beyond that there are simple problem-solving elements introduced throughout, where you must make use of switches and boxes to unlock doors and deactivate electric barricades. Bringing about the remainder of the essential platforming elements are some well placed boss fights and bonus levels.

It's not terribly difficult stuff, but it's more challenging than your typical Disney title and is pitched at a level that's more casual game than children's game. The title wears its comic book heritage with pride as it does its appreciation for established platforming statutes and achieves a blend of action and aesthetics that is atmospheric, charming and fun. Presentation-wise the game is top notch 2D stuff and special mention needs to be made of the the animation, especially with regards to PK's sprite, which moves with all of the fluidity of a Disney cartoon.

There are occasions where the attack patterns of the enemies seem a little unfair, though thankfully the game is not big on punishment, and if you die you're never sent back more than a few paces. The by-the-numbers approach can sometimes lack spark too but overall this is a polished and thoughtfully made game.

So as newcomers to the PK Phantom Duck character, our feeling is the game succeeds as a faithful outing for the franchise. Even if we're wrong, PK Phantom Duck is an enjoyable and well crafted platforming romp.