Control:  
Call me an idiot, but I think THQ has done a little innovating here. These little buggers can roll with the best of them, but they can stop with the best of them, too. Since the player often finds him/herself hopping around on platforms roughly the size of his/her character, this is a very refreshing change from the typical “wheels give you speed but you must pay in the brakes department” trade-off. A few tries, a few moments to hone your reflexes, and the characters become to fun to dash around with. The controls are very responsive, meaning a touch here and there will add up to make your move successful. However, THQ’s most obvious innovation is also the game’s weakest control point--especially for the first few levels when the player is only beginning to get used to the scenario. Your preteen roller can grind down railing of any sort or length, but the game is in 2D. This means you have to meet two requirements in order to successfully pull off a grind: a) you must hit a button shortly before passing through a rail, and b) you must be moving either left or right as you fall. Interacting with a third dimension in a 2D game through particulars like these proves kind of annoying at first. But after awhile it gets a little fun. At the very worst, I suppose, it is different! I personally like it, but it took a couple of levels for me to quit furrowing my brow and get instinctive with it.

Gameplay:  
I found that there were only two major weaknesses in Dream Scheme’s gameplay: the story, and the level difficulty. The story is just kind of whack, what with you saving your ocean-side town from being trans-ga-morphed into a polka resort by an evil adult. Of course, you aren’t exactly for real saving your town because the whole thing is a dream (or is it?). Others may find this storyline delightfully quaint. I found it--especially the bit about it all just being a dream (or is it?)--wonderfully moronic. Maybe I’m just not the type. Maybe I read too many books. Anyway, my issue with the game’s level difficulty is much easier to explain: the first level was in too many ways the most difficult of them all. The few skips and bumps caused by the rail-sliding controls were taken to the max in that first level, and replaying it after pushing my way through more advanced levels brought a frown to my adorable face.

But these are the only two notable flaws in the game. The level design in general is quite clever, offering secret areas available to the curious (but not so difficult to find as to require freakish luck), the twists and turns and mechanics of level advancement all make a tidy and enjoyable experience. There are moments of real challenge, but the quick minded and quick-fingered player (as all players are!) will not find that challenge disintegrating into frustration. The enemies are varied enough to be interesting, and while I have not stumbled upon too many evil-polka doozies I have been forced to give a few opponents more than one go. The animated moments are also decent, especially the introduction sequence. This is a good game, folks. It probably didn’t take blood or sweat or more than a couple of tears to design, but it definitely took some thought. As I mentioned before, I think THQ displayed some old-fashioned good taste all around.

Sound:
The sound is adequate. We don’t find ourselves listening to anything special--no kickin’ tunes set to strange meter--but we aren’t tortured by hyper-repetitive, Pinobee-style, three-tone ditties, either. The sound effects are also quite sufficient. I do confess to liking the way the roller blades sounds when they hit the pavement spinning. It sounds kind of nice and crunchy. We could use a few more voice samples, I suppose, but really I think THQ demonstrated some fine good taste here, too.

Multiplayer:
Ha ha…what? Oh, there is not a multiplayer feature. I think that there probably shouldn’t be. I think it would be stupid if there was such a thing here, in this game. Waste of space. Completely stupid.

OVERALL:
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it about four times: THQ displayed good game-making sense when they put Rocket Power: Dream Scheme together. I expected the worse, but I got something pretty darn good. The control is innovative, the level and character designs are tight and visually concise (while not utterly drab), and the total package has a quality sheen about it that made me feel lucky to put this cute little bugger in my Gameboy Advance/CD-player travel kit. The only areas in which I would take the designers to task are the storyline and the distribution of level challenge. But overall, folks, this title is a keeper. I only have about four Gameboy Advance games that stay in regular rotation. Maybe I’m just a nerfball--but Rocket Power: Dream Scheme is one of them.

 

The Lowdown on  Rocket Power: Dream Scheme Aesthetics: Above Average Control: Very Good Gameplay: Very Good Multiplayer: Sound: Above Average Innovation: 4/6 Lasting Appeal: 5/6 Overall: Very Good! "A Must-Buy"