CheatCC writes: "When word spreads that a bestselling children's book series is about to make the big jump to a movie adaptation, it tends to be a harbinger of bad multi-platform video game tie-ins to come. The Spiderwick Chronicles is just the latest in a long tradition of games pulled together to coincide with the launch of a corresponding kids movie. The DS version certainly isn't the flashiest edition of the game, but the inclusion of an interesting battle system and a few basic RPG elements make it a cut above your average licensed spinoff on the handheld. Like many other titles of its ilk, the Spiderwick Chronicles is destined for the hands of kids who loved the movie and bugged their folks incessantly to hook them up with the game. The problem is it may be a bit too much to handle for the younger audience it's geared towards."
GamersInfo Writes:
"The Spiderwick Chronicles is a game based on the movie of the same name. The movie is based on a set of books of the same name. I haven't read the books, so I'm not sure how close any of this is to the source material, but the game is extremely close to the movie (at least so far).
Mallory, Jared and Simon Grace arrive (along with their mom) to live in the dusty estate of their Aunt Lucinda (who is not in residence). Mallory is the older sister with a fencing medal (so you know she's good with a sword). Simon is the cerebral twin - your go-to guy for inventions. Jared is the more aggressive twin, more than happy to get physical with his baseball bat and definitely most likely to leap headfirst into danger."
Videogamer writes: "An action adventure game where you play as three siblings (twin boys and an older sister), exploring their house and the surrounding area using a book for guidance. You'll encounter numerous puzzles and fight monsters. It's based on the movie of the same name and follows the story pretty closely.
Throughout the game you have access to a book which keeps track of your current quest objectives. For the most part what you need to do and where you need to go is fairly obvious, but later on things can get a little confusing. There's a lot of collecting and a fair amount of combat. Combat is generally a case of hammering down the attack button, but you can also fire projectiles at enemies - the aiming view roots your character to the spot."
PALGN writes: "The Spiderwick Chronicles game follows the events of the film, and even contains footage to help move the plot along. Three siblings named Jared, Mallory and Simon move into a house that was once owned by their grandfather, Arthur Spiderwick, and one day Jared discovers 'Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You', a book which reveals the house is surrounded by a hidden magical world full of wondrous and dangerous creatures. As Jared turned the first page, the book sent out a powerful energy wave that alerted the evil ogre Mulgarath, who sought the Field Guide's secrets to take over the world. Jared, Simon and Mallory must now discover the world around them, and put a stop to Mulgarath's plans.
The game can be broken down into three elements: exploration, combat and platforming. During the exploration parts of the game, you are usually tasked with finding certain items to build an object, such as a new weapon for one of the kids or a monocle so you can see the hidden world. In case you're having difficulty, you can even pull out the Field Guide for some advice on where the items are kept, although during the later levels it does become less useful."
