iCarly is a popular Nickelodeon comedy program that follows the misadventures of a group of friends as they attempt to run a successful web show. Based on the rising popularity of social media and blogging websites such as Twitter and YouTube, the program has proven to be a massive hit with tweens, teens and adults alike.

iCarly for Wii features an original script voiced by actors from the TV show and follows a familiar party-game format that many Wii owners will recognise. Players must compete in a variety of mini-games as they help Carly, Sam and Freddie piece together segments for their next web show.

Each show is called a “webisode” and presents a random selection of mini-games that are played consecutively. Each mini-game lasts for only a few seconds at a time and all can be played solely with the Wii remote. Activities include balancing items on your head, controlling trampolines, seeking out lost critters and even blasting alien spaceships.

The games are fun at first, though you will quickly realise that many of them are simply the same thing with different graphics. In one game, for example, you balance crockery on your head, while in another version the plates are replaced by slices of lettuce and tomato as you attempt to “build a sandwich”.

Many of the games are likely to leave you scratching your head in confusion and wondering what you were actually supposed to do. This fact isn’t helped by the game’s lack of a decent manual, or any sort of comprehensive in-game help that I could find.

The games employ a variety of different control methods that include using the Wii remote to point at the screen, tipping it on its side and—of course—plenty of ineffectual waggling.

In themselves the controls are effective, though there is little margin for error as each segment ends so quickly. It is from this sense of unpredictability, however, that the most fun arises in iCarly for Wii; one moment you’ll be searching for croaking frogs and the next spraying water in the faces of characters from the show.

Don’t expect to see any real faces in the game, though. Aside from the box art, iCarly for Wii features entirely animated graphics, complete with awkward paper-doll versions of the show’s cast. The gaudy, cartoonish style doesn’t quite feel right and given the tech-savvy nature of the show, segments of actual recorded video from the series would have seemed more appropriate.

Blondie was left to feel like the third wheel in this latest iCarly webisode...

iCarly for Wii’s graphics are of questionable quality and feature the sort of bland, washed-out textures that you might have expected from an older games machine. The paper dolls representing each of the cast members are, at best, passable recreations, but you certainly won’t be mistaking them for the real thing.

Aside from the times when the game ends before you get a chance to figure out what’s going on, most gamers will be able to achieve “top-ranking” scores within only a few minutes of picking up the Wii remote. Even for a title aimed at a younger audience, Activision have missed the mark here and the result is a game that is simply too easy.

No matter how hard you might try, it seems impossible to actually fail in iCarly, with poor performances in the mini-games simply limiting the initial amounts of “web-cred” you’ll have to spend on decorative items and fashion accessories.

These collectable items range from dogs wearing hats to pairs of sparkly shoes, but don’t contribute in any meaningful way to the gameplay. Despite being divided into separate sections like “gadgets” and “fashion”, all of the unlockable items serve the same purpose and appear only as decorations in the game’s various backdrops.

Hammers loaded with gunpowder? Well you certainly don't see that everyday!

That means you can’t use purchased clothing to customise the characters, for example, but only place the clothes within a series of pre-determined locations within each level. All in all, the unlockable items are pretty much pointless and are unlikely to extend replayability for all but the most obsessive gamers.

What is perhaps missing the most from iCarly for Wii, however, is the trademark “punchiness” of the show’s comedy. Although the actual cast lent their voices to the game, each line sounds as though it was recorded separately. This results in performances that sound stilted and unnatural and convey nothing of the rapport between actors that is present in the TV show.

Although many of the scenarios in the game correspond vaguely to events from different episodes, die-hard fans would better spend their time watching reruns.

The mini-games are fun and oddball enough to keep you interested for a few minutes at least, and as is the case with so many Wii titles, are much more fun when enjoyed with a friend. Playing in multiplayer negates at least some of the problems with the title’s lack of difficulty, as you’ll actually have somebody to compete against.

With so many similar games available for the platform, iCarly for Wii needed to be exceptional if it was to make any lasting impression at all. Unfortunately this isn’t the case and even obsessive fans will be hard-pressed to find any reason to choose iCarly ahead of the multitude of viable party-game alternatives.

By Michael Hand

Graphics: C

Bland, uninspired graphics that only barely match the look of the TV show.

Sound: B

It’s good that they managed to get most of the show’s cast to record the script, but you will quickly get tired of the repetitive words of encouragement offered by the characters.

Gameplay: C

Yet another uninspired collection of mini-games that you’ve already played a million times.

Overall: C+

iCarly is barely “okay”, but life’s too short to settle for mediocrity.