Whiplash : Games : Web Wombat

Two of these animals - Redmond, a ferret with attitude, who is tethered to Spanx, a loudmouthed rabbit used for the dirty work - are controlled by you, and are the ringleaders in organising an assault on their captors.

Playing as these two captive animals, Redmond and Spanx will accomplish things from releasing caged monkeys to assaulting scientists, and it has to be said that this game is a funny affair.

Though it is mainly targeted at the younger audiences, it still sends a strong message for animal rights, and is largely against animal testing [Sadly, however, three juvenile dung beetles were injured during the writing of this review - Ed].

The game has cartoon-like graphics, which will be admired by most PS2 fans, such are the colours on offer and the boldness of the main characters.

Spanx and Redmond get chased by a
whitecoat, who'll probably end up
with his nuts in a vice or some such

The way everything animates also caught my attention, as I was fascinated by the smoothness of the artwork and the character's movements, while the surrounding environments were also very well represented by polygons.

There's quite a bit of humour in there too, as you can use Spanx to smash through a glass window or use his already abused body to transmit electricity to open doors - and all this looks great, and the graphics run smoothly, with only minor glitches here and there.

The sound is good too, with the main acknowledgement going towards the voice acting - the speech suits the rabbit and the ferret personas perfectly.

The voice of Spanx is cute, but somewhat naughty, and it makes you feel sorry for him, even though you persist with using him as a weapon or a tool, no matter how cruel it may be.

As you venture throughout the Testing Corporation, new challenges have to be met, and tricky situations must be thought out, giving the game a deeper aspect and not simply a game involving running around assaulting scientists.

Although a well thought out, smart and witty game, it does have some negative aspects, which don't affect the game in an overall sense, but can be a bit of a nuisance at times.

The maps and menu setup is confusing to say the least - it took me longer to figure out the in-game menu than to complete the first few stages. A bad set out, but as I said it doesn't interfere severely with the overall game.

Who would win an impromptu pro
wrestling match: the bunny or the ferret?

Also, some simple challenges become exceedingly wearisome due to bad level design and poor controls.

For example, jumping from one platform to another can be quite frustrating - it should be a simple procedure, but can be awfully hard to complete with the first 30 attempts.

Back to the good points, and in-game saving is a treat, with no menus needed, just simply walk into a saving booth and bingo, it is saved within a couple of seconds.

All told, Whiplash is a great game to play, and you won't have to worry about time constraints as you can pick it up and interact with it for 20 minutes or 200 minutes, and still come away satisfied.

Whiplash is a title that gamers from all age groups will find both funny and addicting. It's easy to get into, and has plenty of thought-provoking ideas.

The characters are adorable, and help bring a considerable amount of charm to the game, the graphics are sensational, the script is original and well written, and the objectives are generally quite cool too.

Whiplash is a game that kids will love and most other older gamers will find amusing as well. Heck, even parents will get into it just as much, as will animal rights activists who want retribution. Fun for all!

Game: Whiplash
System: PS2
Players: 1
Online: No
Developer: Eidos
Distributor: Atari

Rating: 75%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

Whiplash is on the shelves now.

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