It was back in 1998 when Lucky Luke made his debut in a platform game for the PC. In fact, this latest adventure is very similar to the original game in that both are what you would call old school platform titles. The action takes place on either horizontal or vertical planes in which Lucky Luke is usually limited to moving forward or backward and rarely ever side to side. There is relatively no freedom in terms of gameplay as the action unravels in a very linear fashion.

There are over a dozen levels in Lucky Luke's latest adventure. Each level comes with an objective, or set of goals, that must be completed in order to advance to the next level. Bonus games are featured between each level, offering the opportunity to gain extra cash. Money is also available by the handfuls throughout each level and can be used at the end of each level to purchase extra lives or passwords so that when you commence a new game the next time around, you can begin where the last password left off.

The problem with Lucky Luke, besides the absence of any kind of freedom or non-linearity, is the design of each level. Lucky Luke is obviously aimed at a younger audience with it's simply puzzles, but there's just not enough action or excitement to keep a younger gamers' attention. There's little to no repetition between levels, but when the goal is to basically walk or ride across a level without getting killed, the fun ceases very quickly.

Graphically, Lucky Luke looks like an older game. Although 3D cards are supported for this title, there is absolutely no detail in the graphics at all. The characters, environments and baddies add nothing to the atmosphere of this game and even the colour schemes need work. In terms of audio, Lucky Luke features an assortment of effects and even a tune or two but neither is worth turning the speakers up for.

The controls are something you can't get wrong in a platform game right? Wrong. Lucky Luke can only be played using the keyboard and the pre-set keys aren't exactly configured for easy access. What's even worse is that you have very few options when it comes to altering the keyboard layout. You can exchange one key for another, but you can't assign new keys or delete other keys.

You know what, I haven't even touched on the storyline yet, shame on me. Here it is: Lucky Luke is the sheriff of a small western town where the Dalton brothers are causing havoc. Like any good sheriff would do, Luke takes it upon himself to rid the town of these pests and restor?. Zzz? Zzzz? Zzzz.

Sorry, dozed off there. It wasn't particularly clever back in 1998 and it's certainly not any more entertaining now. Lucky Luke is better left in the comic books because he doesn't deserve a fate like this.