The Jungle Book (Game Gear, 1994)

A picture is worth 1000 words. I'll admit that I was turned off by the front packaging of this game, as Mowgli was shown to be more of an action hero than the cute kid in Disney's movie. But once you got into the game, it draws you in.

The game pits Mowgli against his tiger enemy, Shere Khan, and the elements of danger the jungle brings. Of course, in the midst of this quest, he meets up with all the main characters of Jungle Book, from Baloo and King Louie to my favorite, Kaa the snake.

It's basic 1990s run, climb, shoot arcade action, where you go through Chapters (stages) to win your ultimate quest. As with such genre, you'll have jungle weapons to help get you through...but for families, it's good to know that you're using things like bananas and coconuts to bonk enemies. Collecting gems is one of the main goals to proceed, but there are numerous varieties of challenges to prevent you from doing this. It is a timed game, so you'll find yourself having to learn locations and develop strategies to get through, but once a level is learned, it's fairly easy to get through it.

There are 10 major levels to this game - with the final one being the showdown with Shere Khan.

Disney fans will love the interplay between characters, the tie to the original film, and the inclusion of songs and other soundtracks used throughout the game. This game probably won't satisfy hardcore gamers, but for the Disney enthusiast or someone who enjoys arcade gaming before the day of black-and-gore, this is one of my favorites.