Family Dog

"A small bit of nostalgia"

I received this game as a present one year for my birthday. My family regularly watched the CBS television adaptation of the original movie. When I heard about the game, I thought that it might be fun to pick it up and relive the memories. However, I was sadly disappointed with what I found.

Game play - 5
While the premise sounds as if it could be fun, the game play suffers in quite a few areas. You play as the family dog, armed with a bark, the ability to sniff the ground for items, and jump very half-heartedly. All levels of the game involve jumping from platform to platform, dodging random vacuum cleaners and cats as you make your way to a new doorway/window/exit. Occasionally, you will find a tennis ball that unlocks a bonus "Fetch!" mini-game after the level is complete. These levels and mini-games would be fun (maybe, take that lightly) if it wasn't for the controls. Falling to your death or running straight into an enemy happens all too often because of the shoddy mechanics. Also, a certain level includes windows, which (supposedly) the player is supposed to know to jump through. Better controls and more explanation in the game manual (it's one of the thinnest manuals for the SNES) could have improved this game quite a bit.

Story - No Score
I thought I should include this just to give some more background. The dog causes too many problems around the house, so he is taken to obedience school. You must escape and make it home to complete the game. Pretty straightforward.

Graphics/Sound - 6
The game doesn't show of the technical prowess of the Super Nintendo, but it's not too horrible. The enemies are identifiable (blenders, vacuum cleaners, and cats are pretty easy to depict) and the house looks like a house (even though from a design standpoint, the first floor is approximately 50 feet high and one-half mile across :P). The sound is also repetitive, but I actually kind of like the last level's music. Not the best graphics and sound, but they aren't horrible either.

Play Time/Replayability - 2
This game suffers horribly in this category. The game takes approximately 1-2 hours to complete (depending on how well the controls are at the time). As for replay value, well... I don't think in the 8 years I've owned that I've beaten a third time. I think that speaks for itself.

Final Recommendation
You should only buy this game if you watched the television show or the TV movie. Otherwise, you won't have any reason to enjoy the game. Those who are interested in the game shouldn't pay more than 10 dollars for it.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 09/25/04