You play as Zeke, a man informed of a position that has opened up for a caretaker of the mansion. Little does Zeke know till he arrives is that he has been duped by the ghost who reside in the mansion into taking on another job…defeating the ruler of the mansion Atticus Thorn. With the help of Madame Leota, the friendly ghost, and various items made to thwart evil, Zeke will do just that…if you dare…mwaaaaahahahaha…cough…cough.

The look and feel of the Haunted Mansion is like Disney cartoons of old. Think of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and you'll get the gist of the character and the level design. The game's visuals are clean, dark, and very adequate. Zeke has some original animations for when he's scared, brave, or just kicking some ghoul butt. The apparitions are well designed, but there doesn't seem to be enough variety found, with little distinction between most ghouls. This would generally tend to make the game seem stale, but it's the level designs and secrets within that really stand out. Whether you are jumping into a painting to reach the upper floor, or taking a stroll on a pool table when you are the size of the billiards, the special effects are many and the twist come as great surprises throughout the game. The game's lighting effects help to add the creepiness and while not survival horror scary, the little one's may get what chills mommy and daddy get when they play Resident Evil in the dark. One thing is for sure; the Disney touch is here for the game's look and presentation. This has always been and remains a good thing. Why the game scores a teen rating is surprising, but if you're a parent who passed because of this, don't be afraid to pick up this title, there is nothing teen about it.

Audio is also delightful with some surprisingly good voice acting. You get guidance from Madame Leota's head in a crystal ball. Her voice acting, while over the top, actually fits the campy style of humor the game was reaching for. The score is upbeat and charming, yet still keeping that spooky feeling. The game does support Dolby Digital, so the voices and eerie sounds will surround you pleasantly throughout your journey. Zeke, unfortunately, is a mute. He grunts, groans, and mumbles in glee, but you never here Zeke form a sentence. Thankfully the ghost and the Madame supply ample substance to keep the game and story moving along nicely.

The game play, while not totally original, is very solid and polished. This is one very important aspect in a platform type of genre, and Haunted Mansion delivers. Whether you are catching spirits or fending off the evil ones in your beacon, jumping on top of many floating books to reach a new floor, or just needing to reach that bottle of tonic to revive your bravery, the controls are tight and receptive. One may think of a Luigi's Mansion rip off at first glance, but this title is better and has more depth that Nintendo's title. The button layout is simplistic and surprisingly uses all the buttons. A to jump, X to search for spirits or use items, B to collect souls, Y to look around in 1st person camera mode, L to lock on, R to fire, and the black and white and right analog stick rotates your camera left to right. You also can get hints by pressing on the D pad. The enemies can be many at times, but never become overwhelming to defeat. The puzzles on the other hand can range from the very elementary to the very difficult. You may even come across parts of the game that make you wonder if you missed something earlier, but rest assure, there is always a way to defeat a level, it just may not be so obvious. All in all the game delivers in great game play, and will keep you busy for quite some time.

Haunted Mansion requires you to capture 999 souls in the many rooms before they are collected together by Thorn and become one bad mamma jamma. Solving the many puzzles, defeating the many enemies, and collecting the many souls will give the average gamer around 10 hours of solid enjoyment. While some parts of the game seem similar, the game will always throw a new twist into the mix just when you think you are getting close to boredom. This is a nice change of pace, as most games get you into the game for the first few levels, and then repeat the same formula that got you hooked. Not here folks. New surprises come, and come often which makes for an enjoyable journey for certain.

Whether you are 8 or 80 there is plenty to enjoy about this title. If you passed on the game whether it's because it's Disney, thought it had Eddie in it, or another crap movie title, be happy in the fact that the game is very solid and delivers in fun, visuals, and game play. This may be one of those titles that unfortunately gets forgotten or overlooked by the massive number of titles released this holiday season, but if you want a platformer that delivers the goods, look no further than the Haunted Mansion.