Parent's Guide: Phineas And Ferb: Across The Second Dimension - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

Phineas And Ferb: Across The Second Dimension is a co-operative platform/action game, where the titular brothers, their secret agent pet platypus Perry and his arch-nemesis Dr. Heinz Doofensmirtz get transported through the mad scientist's other-dimensionator to a second, alternate dimension, and need to find their way home. Or something like that anyway. Following on from, and expanding on, where the film of the same name left off, if your child's ever seen the cartoon on the Disney Channel (which isn't as bad as some of the other stuff on there), they should be at least vaguely familiar with the world of Danville and its inhabitants.

Playing as Phineas, Ferb, Agent P or the brand new Agent T, you'll be blasting your way through six distinctly different dimensions, ending enemies with your baseball launcher, orangeade soaker or electric shock device, and leaping from platform to platform as you try to get back to your home dimension, with a few reasonably simple puzzles thrown in for good measure along the way. All in all, it's along the same sort of lines as the Lego series, Batman: The Brave And The Bold and Super Mario Galaxy, to name but a few.

There's not really too much in the way of reading to do here, as the vast majority of the game is fully voiced by Phineas, Ferb and friends. That said, to tackle some of the more complex platforming and boss fights, your children will need to be more than fairly competent at platform games, as even we struggled in some sections - but a welcome relief comes from having no life count; if you get defeated in battle, just shake the Wii Remote to revive yourself, and any miss-taken jumps result in you being respawned back before the fateful fall.

That said, Phineas and Ferb is also a game likely to frustrate, with a difficulty level that's more like a rollercoaster than a gentle curve, with simple sections followed by incredibly challenging ones that'll have you tearing your hair out - especially if you're playing in two player.

Based closely on the TV show and film of the same name, Phineas And Ferb: Across The Second Dimension contains very little in the way of mature content. With nothing in the way of sex or swearing, what little violence it does feature is rather minor, slapstick, Tom-and-Jerry-esque pelting enemies with baseballs and the like, before the defeated enemies just fade away with no blood, guts or gore.

Phineas And Ferb: Across The Second Dimension lets a friend/son/daughter/brother/sister/mom/dad drop in as a second player for two-player co-operative antics through the other dimensionator. Beware though - the more competent player of the team really does need to play as player one, as the game's somewhat lopsided with respawns. If player two drops off a cliff/doesn't quite make a jump, they'll respawn at player one's side almost instantly - but should player one plummet to their doom, it'll put both players back at the last checkpoint - which could be several minutes ago. So even if you clear a particularly awkward jump, if your friend doesn't, and you're not player one, you'll both be taken back to do it all over again. And again. And again.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Nintendo Wii