The game starts out as you and two friends decide to try out the ultimate skateboarding ramp in your town, which just happens to be in the back yard of Dr. Klumpfus' mansion, a scientist with a penchant for creating diabolical traps and zany mutant creatures. You accidentally end up inside the doctor's mansion and must traverse 114 levels to make your way out and back to your friends. Naturally, escaping won't be so easy.

You start the game with your trusty skateboard, which unfortunately doesn't let you do a whole lot. No matter what form of transportation you're using there are two things you can do besides moving left and right. The first is that you can climb up on things. However, you can only climb the equivalent height of one block. It doesn't take long in the game before you realize this means that there are times that you will have to rearrange the scenery in order to get where you need to go. The second thing you can do, assuming you have enough room to gain speed, is jump sizable gaps. The size of the gap you can jump depends on how much lead time you have, but there is a maximum to the length you can jump. It won't always be to your advantage to get up to the maximum jumping speed.

Unfortunately, this isn't going to be nearly enough to get you through all the traps Dr. Klumpfus has laid out in his mansion. Thankfully, he was kind enough to put a few things down there to help himself - and unknowingly you - get out alive. The first thing you'll run across is the A.I. Goo. This is basically a purple substance that you can control by blowing bubbles with it. You can move these bubbles around the level while you stay put, as long as you keep in mind that for the most part the bubble can't do anything you can't do. In other words, it doesn't float through closed doors, nor is it impervious to traps like dripping acid or any of the various mutants roaming about. What it can do, however, is pick up and move objects such as blocks around the room. This is great when the only method for getting from point A to point B is the block resting at point B.

The next item you'll get is a cool maintenance vehicle. Once again, the device has the same limitations as you in terms of traps and things. Also, unlike the goo, it can't float, so in terms of the ground its movements are restricted much like yours. However, it has its own set of tricks, such as the ability to stick to metal walls. I don't want to go into too many details, because half the fun is discovering what new tricks your tools hold, but as you are hopefully starting to imagine there's more to this puzzle platformer than probably anything you've played on your PocketPC to date.

The traps are pretty standard for puzzle / platform type games. There are drips that can kill you (in this case composed of acid), spikes that will spear you and pillars that will crush you. Some walls have mutant growths with pointy spikes that aren't much good for your health. You'll run into these obstacles and a host of other things as you progress through the levels. And then, of course, there are the mutants. They range from orange things that look like flying manta rays to big grey blobs that get a constipated look on their face just before they emit a spray of bullets in several directions.

The game certainly wouldn't be much fun without some positive puzzle elements as well. There are blocks that need to be moved around the screen or removed from the screen. Teleporters will get you quickly from one section of a level to another. Sometimes buttons need to be pressed, levels pulled, or floor plates depressed in order for you to gain passage to other parts of a level. There are even times where you'll need some quick reflexes to get through an area, and other instances where you'll actually need to think outside the box to complete a puzzle. If you don't care much for thinking your way through a situation, this game might not be right for you.

The controls are pretty straightforward. On my device I was able to use the D-Pad or the stylus to move around. To launch a bubble you either push in on the D-Pad or click Archibald with the stylus. Depending on the sensitivity of the situation I often found myself using a combination of both the stylus and the D-Pad. The controls are probably my biggest gripe with the game. Given the precise nature of many of the puzzles, it seemed like the controls were too touchy, especially when manipulating the bubble. This made for many unnecessary repeats on some levels. The other thing I didn't really care for (and this is a bit of a spoiler) were the levels where you played Dr. Klumpfus. For the most part I felt like I was playing an electronic version of Operation rather than trying to solve puzzles, and that wasn't very enjoyable after a while.

Graphically, Archibald's Adventures really shines. The graphics do tend to be a bit small, but everything is nicely detailed. As you visit each new level try to notice some of the care that went into the images. You'll often see things like writing on the wall or doors that suddenly fill with lots of creepy little eyes. Archibald is also nicely animated. He'll often blow a bubble from the gum he's chewing, and while he's idle in the maintenance machine he'll start playing with a yo-yo. The only thing I was really disappointed about was the renderings of the mutants. Some of them were okay, but for the most part they were just really silly. I guess I expected a bit more given the cool creature designs Rake In The Grass had for Undercroft.

The sound effects were pretty decent. The important events all had their special noises, and certain things like the maintenance pod cracking when it got hit were pretty cool. The sound track was nicely done. I believe there was a different tune for each of the main level blocks (there are 7 altogether), and then another track for the menu setup.

All in all, Archibald's Adventures reaffirmed my faith that excellent platform games can be developed for the PocketPC platform. The controls issues made some of the levels a bit tedious, and I think the balance was a bit off in terms of difficulty - some of the hardest levels always seemed to come smack dab in the middle of a group, but the design as a whole was very solid. The aesthetics were top notch, and with 114 levels, there's certainly a lot of game to be had here. I really believe Archibald's Adventures belongs in every platform or puzzle lover's PocketPC collection.

Overall Score: 9/10
Product Page: Archibald's Adventures Page
You can try or buy the game for $12.95 here