O.K., I’ll admit it: I’m yet to see Paramount Pictures' ‘Rango’ (voiced by Johnny Depp) at my local Hoyt’s. But hold your horses, my friends, since Rango the Game – while derived from the movie – features a semi-original plotline. So there.

Borrowing from its namesake, Rango the Game occurs several years after the movie’s conclusion. Rango’s buddy Slim uncovers a meteorite and mystery, one that – upon presentation of the glowing green object to Rango – seemingly vaporizes Slim on the spot. Not coincidentally, Rango’s squeeze Beans believes her missing pops is somehow part of this whole sordid affair. Looks like we got a mystery on our hands, gang, and I know just the lizard sheriff of Dirt to help solve it. Problem is, arch-nemesis Bad Bill is still in town.

The amazing thing about Rango – while ridiculously short, no doubt a product of its target market of adolescents – is that it’s a surprisingly solid game. In Rango, EA and Behaviour Entertainment put together a polished, fun, and diverse title, one that I kept looking for glaring warts but had trouble finding. Yes, my friends: this is a movie game arguably worth buying.

There’s nothing ridiculously original in Rango, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A standard action/adventure platformer, Rango packs a slew of fighting abilities plus available weapons upgrades and power-ups. Gameplay is designated by levels and sub-stages, one where defeating a slew of enemies opens up the next partial stage. Save points are appropriate, and provide unlimited lives. Die, return to the beginning of the sub-stage. Recurring mini-game type actions – hit items with golf balls, bullseyes via golden bullets, are sprinkled in intermittently.

Combat in Rango is of the chaotic sort, with waves of enemies coming after you…all sporting different abilities and consequently preferred methods of dispatch. With the game skewed on the slightly easier end of things (even on higher difficulty levels), it’s rare that a single combat area will kill Rango outright. Even more so, with available life upgrades purchased through collection of sheriff stars hidden in boxes, obtained via defeating enemies.

Related, Rango controls very well, with enough looseness to provide an ‘open’ feel…but not enough to engender reckless abandon in movement. Said levels are both intuitively and cleverly crafted, with each sub-stage offering a slightly different twist on its predecessor. This – combined with terrific humor and evolving level story components – keeps the game fresh and hard to put down. Riding rails, birds and flying all fuse together in keeping things continually flowing.

I was also very happy to see a rare instance of a platformer with proper jump/grab/interaction dynamics...especially for non-traditional environments. Platform frustration moments are thankfully rare in Rango, as next steps are almost always semi-obvious, well laid out with on-screen, embedded graphical guides. Top tier titles (‘Uncharted,’ for instance) can learn a lot from Rango’s movement scheme, one that remains semi-challenging but never a cheat.

Supporting, subtle nuances in the game – Rango’s dialog, the omni-present mariachi band, enemy garb and/or attack patterns – point to a design team that savored it’s license versus force fit an engine on top of it. Unlockables are a treat, with some decent character/environmental art, also new costumes for Rango to defeat the masses in.

Before one declares this a complete love fest, it’s important to note Rango good…but not great, by any means. As mentioned, expect to complete the game in a handful of hours’ time, with almost no incentive to replay it. It’s also intended – as discussed – more for kids, meaning challenge factor will not suit many of the older variety. Finally, there’s nothing incredibly original here, meaning Rango is probably best for fans of the movie looking to capably extend their experience. Although spending full retail on such a short, niche title seems a high price of admission. Even more than a popcorn and Coke at said Hoyt’s.

These criticisms aside, playing Rango reminded me of maiden interactions with ‘Crash Bandicoot’ on the original PlayStation, one where a basic game engine came alive via solid game design creativity and supporting level tempo. Neither blew me away, but both feature a rare fun factor so often missing in lieu of white knuckle or cerebral only game experiences.