Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition Critic Reviews

Although it's based on an idea we've seen before, the use of SpongeBob gives it a much broader appeal and the gameplay here seems slightly more refined.

Although Drawn to Life: SpongeBob Squarepants Edition is a great game for fans of the little yellow sponge, we feel it could alienate older gamers who enjoyed the premier release of the Drawn to Life series.

I definitely enjoyed Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants, and it's probably the best SpongeBob SquarePants game we've seen in the past few years.

Highly amusing premise, but as the game goes on, the returns diminish sharply. Do give it a whirl though.

Whether it's out of respect for the original team or because it's a better game, I'd rather play the original Drawn to Life over this cash-in. But hey, even I can see that the Spongebob Edition isn't a bad kid-focused title -- it's built off a great foundation.

Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition is easily the lesser of the two different versions of the game. It ditches some of what makes Drawn to Life so enjoyable, in favor of pandering to the kiddy crowd. The move is successful – any young SpongeBob fan is going to love this title – yet most gamers should do themselves a favor and just go with the original.

Some youngsters might get impatient with stopping the action to draw every little nick-nack in the game (which requires a lot of sheathing and unsheathing the stylus), but those with an artistic flair will have a great time.

The game's 20 levels (including vehicle chases) give you plenty of play, but the reason to pick it up is to flex your creative muscles.

A solid buy for Drawn to Life fans, kids who love SpongeBob, and anyone who likes to draw.

While it inevitably outstays its welcome a little too soon, Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition is a charming little game that commands respect for not ending up as another dreadful spin-off that relies entirely on its cover-star, and not the actual gameplay.

Younger gamers and good artists might get more out of it but we'd much rather let Miyamoto draw out characters for us, thank you very much.

The game's run-and-bop antics unfold in the charming SpongeBob universe, but the portrayal of the characters falls flat and feels like a joke that never reaches the punch line.