Everyone is familiar with those kooky kamikaze penguins from the movie Madagascar. The movie featured several zoo animals who became stranded on the island of Madagascar, after one of their members escaped and was recaptured, resulting in the removal of all the animals to another zoo.  Unfortunately for them, on the way they became lost at sea and ended up on Madagascar. At the same time this was going on, a group of rebel penguins was trying to dig its way out of the zoo to get to Antartica. The “Skipper,” a penguin that organized them according to military principles, led this group. Madagascar: Operation Penguin tells their story in further detail.

The story begins with a tutorial mode that explains Private Penguin’s (that’s you) basic moves and what items can be collected and used during the game. In the beginning, Private Penguin can only use a big fish for attacks, but later he will collect some cool items like a slingshot fruit launcher, a hamburger paper parachute, a straw blowpipe, and a soda bottle jet pack.  All of these items are introduced humorously, as the penguins mistake the uses of these human items.

Private Penguin has various missions he must accomplish, in order to get the escape tunnels open for use. Each mission is explained in the penguins’ underground cave. After receiving his instructions, Private Penguin is sent on his way with the necessary tools. These missions are played as side-scrolling platform levels, with movement consisting mainly of jumping up on ledges and diving underwater to retrieve different collectibles. In some levels, the player will team up with other animals, but this doesn’t really change the basic movement or level design any. The levels are easy to finish in most cases, as the collection of items is simple, and avoiding the bad guys is not difficult.  Avoidance on the most part is the best option for enemy encounters, as the collision detection isn’t very good.  Just getting close to hazards and enemies often results in damage.  However, there are plenty of health pick-ups lying around. If all the lives are gone, then play begins at the start of the level, where the game has automatically saved.

The game opens in the zoo, but soon advances to the ship and then on to Madagascar. Once completed, the mission levels are open for replay, so players can use their new gadgets to go back and get all of the collectible medals in the levels. However, while this does offer a slight replay value, it’s not a large incentive, as having some of the levels designed as mini-games would have been. For instance, I don’t know why there weren’t any mini-games featuring Private Penguin’s toboggan slide move; it would have been fun to slide around on ice in a level or game.

Graphically, the game is animated pretty well, and the penguins and other animals appear just as they did in the movie. The levels are bright and colorful, and the overall affect is appealing to kids. The sound is average, and doesn’t really offer any neat tunes or sound effects.

Overall, this game is a fun excursion for kids ages eight-up, who will enjoy playing the part of the penguin on a military mission. Vicarious Visions did a good job of sticking with their target audience of younger players. The levels are interesting, the gadgets are a hoot, and the difficulty is challenging enough, but at the same time is not frustrating. For replay value, though, the game needs more variety, as in mini-games or different types of levels besides just platforming. Still, younger players will enjoy this playful romp with the penguins.

Gameplay: 7.5
Playing this game is fun and keeps the attention throughout. The gadgets are nicely envisioned and implemented and the game is humorous, which will help to hold attention. Unfortunately, once finished, there’s not much incentive to come back for seconds, except to collect more medals in the levels.

Graphics: 8.0
Great graphics - we liked the look of the game, and it’s absolutely faithful to the series.

Sound: 7.0
The music is average, but at least not annoying.

Difficulty: Easy
The game isn’t hard to beat, but offers a decent amount of challenge for young players.

Concept: 7.0
The basic platforming, which comprises most of the game, is fairly average and run of the mill. However, the different gadgets, the humor and the ability to replay the missions all add an extra element to the overall design.

Overall: 7.5
A cute and fun platformer that is sure to please most kids. With more variety and some mini-games, this could have been a better game, but as it stands, it’s still a good outing with those penguins from Madagascar.