SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman

When archaeologists of the long-distant future dig up videotapes of an animated talking sponge who keeps a snail as a pet and counts a scuba-diving squirrel among his friends, they're going to wonder what the heck was going on. And the truth is, we're not entirely sure either. But regardless of how little our addled minds comprehend of SpongeBob Squarepants's happy-go-lucky life on the seabed, there's plenty of mad material in the TV series that's ripe for transfer to videogame territory. And with one Game Boy Advance platformer already under his (square) belt, the gap-toothed bath accessory is back in action in SpongeBob Squarepants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman. The plot - pet snail chase; treasure chest find; Flying Dutchman escape - is as inconsequential as it is utterly bonkers. The result is that SpongeBob is required to trek across 11 levels, many immediately recognisable from the telly, and track down the keys to the ghostly pirate's treasure. To help him, he's got a bubble-blowing wand, and the handy ability to puff up in mid-air and float gently back to earth like peaceful plankton. Everything you know and love about platforming is here. The just-out-of-reach coins - goading you from above steep drops and treacherous seaweed pits. The bouncing bad guys - squids and eels that can be destroyed or morphed into platforms with a SpongeBob bubble. The need to reach keys by utilising several abilities - Float Bubbles to reach up high; Strong Bubbles to bash down walls and so on. You'll soak up (heh) some scenic sights as you bounce around the ocean. Carnivals, creepy caverns, and, er, underwater jungles all have a distinct look - and the penultimate stage, situated beneath a passing iceberg, is decked out in pleasing sub-zero scenery and an atmospheric floating-iceflake effect. Brief cameos from SpongeBob's supporting cast - Patrick Star, Squidward, Gary and loads more - will have fans of the show giggling, too. Minigames? Plenty. Steer around obstacles and nab dubloons in the aptly-named 3D Jellyfish Rodeo, squash Plankton's robot drones to save the fabled Famous Krabby Patty recipe or - best of all - engage in a brain-spinning dance contest with an inexplicably adept dancing jellyfish. These bonus bites aren't simply dropped in your lap, either - only much tricky bubble-blowing and platform-leaping will lead you to the hidden goods. In short - absurd enough to make our hair stand on end. SpongeBob Squarepants fans now have two preposterous Game Boy Advance adventures to choose from - and the archaeologists of the year 3000 have twice the headache.