The Golden Compass might sound like something a rich school kid would have in his pencil case - along with a matching solid silver set square - but as most of us are doubtless aware, it's actually a fantasy themed film. Based on a book. And, funnily enough, it involves a school child, nefarious adults and magical beasts. Sounds familiar? In actual fact, Philip Pullman's book predates the certain bespectacled wizard who immediately springs to mind...

According to the laws of gargantuan franchise cash flow, the next hop after book to film is game licence, and The Golden Compass has leapt onto all formats. The PC version we reviewed predictably bore console port influences; the usual scars such as a poorly constructed interface and visuals that lack fine detail, even with all the graphic sliders notched up to maximum.

The game itself is an action adventure. Play switches between two main characters; the resourceful child heroine Lyra, and Iorek, a ferocious armoured bear you wouldn't want to meet down a dark ice floe. Iorek's a polar pugilist who charges into his enemies and whacks them about like there's no tomorrow - which indeed there won't be, for them - and Lyra has to use her agility and guile to blag, dodge or leap past any bad guys.

The trouble is, the platform jumping (and in some cases just plain moving around) is made bloody difficult by Golden Compass's set camera angles. They're completely fixed and often badly placed, so you can't see where you're heading, or you're forced to gauge a tricky leap from an awkward angle. The controls don't help either, being rather unresponsive, especially when using the keyboard.

On the positive side, the bear's combat sections are entertaining even if they err towards the superficial. Slamming into a group of enemies and then picking one up and hurling him round by the ankles is certainly fun, although the number of attacks you can make is pretty limited.

Aside from the platforming and fighting, Golden Compass contains the usual smattering of collectibles and a large feast of mini-games. These are typically played when Lyra needs to progress by sweet-talking or deceiving other characters. Her conversations are punctuated by games that involve quick reactions, matching up pairs of objects, dodging bullets in a miniature version of Space Invaders and so on. Win and Lyra says the right things, fail and she puts her foot in it.

Initially, these are engagingly simple tests of manual and mental dexterity. However, as the game progresses they begin to get repetitive, and the strictly linear nature of the adventure means The Golden Compass soon becomes less than magnetic. Also bear in mind that if you haven't seen the film, the choppy cut-scenes do a very poor job of conveying the story.

Unfortunately this particular compass isn't made of solid gold. There's some entertainment to be had early on, but the game quickly becomes repetitive and there are some serious issues with the interface, camera and controls.