Genre: Platformer
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Krome Studios
Release Date: Q4 2005

Working at EB Games during the Christmas season gave me a chance to see the popularity of the Ty series, some really easy platformer titles that are perfect for kids age 6-12. We got some hands-on time with the Xbox and GBA versions of the upcoming third installment, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3, to see what Krome Studios has done to improve an already successful series.

In this new edition, several new features have been added. There are now more boomerangs to choose from and a lot more customizability. The menu screens have also been changed to make them more user-friendly, and new and improved weapons and vehicles have been added.

If fans were happy with the last iteration of Ty, they'll be sure to jump for joy when they see the new modes and attacks that will be included in Ty 3. The new modes include the two extra mini-games, a Mario Kart clone and some type of airplane shooter, which is rather easy to pick up and enjoy.

For those who might assert that the mini-games didn't really have any objectives in the last edition, Krome has heard your complaints and have implemented goals. Objectives for the Mario Kart-type mini-game include demolition derby, regular race, and more. It's pretty nicely done, quite enjoyable, and somewhat comparable to Crash Nitro. If you get bored, you will probably enjoy the second game, where you just jump into a plane and kill all of the baddies on the screen, a bit like Star Fox, from what I was told. The mini-games are quite fun and definitely add some variety to the platforming title.

The platforming and action portions of the game will stay true to the original, with a few added enemies to make the game more diverse and enjoyable. The graphics haven't seemed to change all that much, but to me, the series looked fine before, and it looks fine now.

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3 is a title to look out for this year, especially if a young gamer on your Christmas list is in the target age range.