Since your Skylander information is saved directly to the miniature, you can take your battle-hardened hero to the big screen and start a new adventure or continue one in progress on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, with no brand exclusivity issues to worry about. Also, characters can be registered online at the Skylanders website, where you can build them up even more, customize a lair, and explore many other extras.

The visuals of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure for the 3DS are absolutely stunning, and on par with, if not better than, Nintendo's remade classics The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64. The 3D effects are handled beautifully, with certain elements popping out of the screen and giving each board an immense sense of depth. With the stage design predominantly a corridor-style format (save a few arena-style matches), the draw distance is quite long and does nothing to slow the frame rate, even with a horde of enemies in the foreground. The color palette is gorgeous, and, despite the dire situation and some ominous locales, they all are extremely inviting to the eyes.

The sound does not fare as well, unfortunately. Like the console version, all the tunes are catchy but brief, making for a very repetitive audio experience. The sound effects are still well-executed with a varied selection, mostly due to the mammoth cast of playable characters and equally large pool of diverse enemies. What is lacking is a fully dialogued story. There are some voiced cinematic cutscenes, but with no in-quest conversations, you'll not be as engaged in the narrative.

If you've purchased a starter pack for both a console and the 3DS (after gasping at the hundred and forty dollar expense), you'll definitely notice the places where the portable version has cut corners. That said, the handheld title offers much more than most games so far on the 3DS, with striking visuals and good replay value. If you can look past the steep asking price, this is a great game to have, and for the dedicated, the start to one of the coolest figurine collections in the history of video games.

By Sean Engemann
CCC Contributing Writer

Game Features:

Players will embark on a fantastical journey into an amazing mysterious world, where they will explore mythical lands, battle outlandish creatures, collect Radiance and other treasures, and solve interesting puzzles on a quest to save the Radiant Isles from the clutches of the evil Outlander, Hektore.

There are over 30 different interaction figures to collect and bring to life. Each one has its own unique in-game personality, powers, and abilities.

Each interaction figure can remember shared experiences and leveled-up abilities. This allows players to personally customize and power-up their characters, as well as take their interaction figures on-the-go to bring them to life on a console's Portal of Power for co-op play and player-versus-player arena battles.