Toy Story 3 game lives up to the movie

Nowadays, just about every child-friendly blockbuster is accompanied by a video game. But since they're usually straightforward rehashes of the movies, most games don't recapture that childhood spirit.

Toy Story 3 comes closer than any movie-based game before it.It does deliver a film recap. The familiar Pixar toys have been left behind by their owner, Andy, and they embark on a mission to get him to play with them one last time. The result is a better-than-average romp, with Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Jessie running and jumping through levels based on the new film's settings.

It's an open-world playground that starts off as a dusty Wild West town. Any one of the three main characters can be sheriff, and other "Toy Story" regulars, like Slinky Dog and Hamm the piggy bank, give you missions. You can ignore their demands; undoubtedly, some kids will be happy just roaming around and decorating their towns, but success at missions earns you the gold to buy new buildings or attract new residents.

Wherever you go in the Toy Box level, there's something new to do. You can herd cattle. You can drive a race car. You can explore a haunted mansion. If there's anything you daydreamed about when you were a child, odds are that developer Avalanche Software has stuck it in here.

- AP

TOY STORY 3

RATING Everyone 10 and older

PLOT Based on the film, and more

DETAILS Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, $50

BOTTOM LINE A delight