The Pokemon craze has been at epidemic proportions for a while now and with Christmas approaching the number of Pokemon toys around is becoming ridiculous...scary even. Scary that we are being asked to pay the proce that some of the companies are asking for their Pokemon related products. Pokemon Snap is one such product with an over inflated price tage.

Coming in at around £40 in the UK you may argue that this is probably the typical price for a Nintendo game any way. However, the diffence is that when you buy a game for the Nintendo at £40 you expect quality and yet again in seeking to cash in on the craze, quality has been left out here. OK so it looks nice, and is very easy to pick up and play so that it suits the younger players, but it is also extremely easy. I guarantee that your child will have completed the game within a few days...couple of hours maybe in some cases.

Basically the idea behind Snap is that you are commissioned by professor Oak to go out into the field and photograph Pokemon characters in their natural surroundings. You will be rewarded for capturing all on film, with greater rewards for capturing them in strange situations or using their powers. Sounds great actually doesn't it? The graphics are well drawn and cutesy and the sounmd effects sickeningly sweet as well...just the way the kids seem to like it. However, you do not have freedom of movement through the game but are instead on a cart being rode through the land of Pokemon on a set of rails. This makes the whole game very limited in my view and you soon get to know whats coming up and prepare to take that winning photo. Professior Ash grades them at the end which can be quite disheartening but not for long as you will be taking excellent shots in no time...and completing your photo album, followed by you tossing Snap aside for something else.

Its not that Snap is a bad game. In fact it is great fun for a while, but that while is somewhat short lived. Fo
r £40 its really not worth the money and can certainly not be recommended to anyone but the most die-hard Pokemon fan. However, no doubt if this is what your kids want for Christmas then you will end up buying it anyway...just don't be surprised if it gets discarded after a day or two.

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Expect two more Pokemon games out next year as well(Pokemon Gold and Silver for the Gameboy) to make you dig even deeper into those already moth infested pockets ;o)