The lowdown:
The blue speedster has come a long way since the Mega Drive days, a bit too far some would say - since many of his more recent games bear little relation to his original platform antics. This looks a lot more like the old games though (even though it's got a weird Arabian Nights back story) as you simply move left and right with the Wii Remote and use the '2' button to jump. You can also reverse up by tilting the remote and do a homing attack on enemies by lifting the controller up vertically, but that and a slowly filling turbo boost bar is as complicated as things get. The graphics though are anything but basic and some of the best yet seen on the Wii, with a great sense of speed that's vital to any good Sonic game.

Most exciting moment:
Despite the storyline taking place in a dream world based on the Arabian Nights the game doesn't exactly stick close to the original text. One of the best levels is filled with dinosaurs and has you outrunning a series of giant lizards before getting catapulted through a waterfall and enjoying a break neck white water rapids run on the back of a log.

Since you ask:
Although Sonic is the only playable character in the game, according to Sega another of his friends will feature in the game, but portrayed in "a different light". Archenemy Dr Robotnik/Eggman is also promised to make an appearance in some form.

The bottom line:
Sonic returns to his roots in his best looking 3D game for ages.-HARRISON DENT