I honestly didn't pay much attention to Magical Mirror starring Mickey Mouse (that's a mouthful) during its development so when I popped the disc into my GameCube and turned it on I was quite surprised to find that the game is a point and click adventure. The basic controls are extremely simple. You move a cursor around the screen and press the A button to cause Mickey to do things.

The cursor changes depending on where you point it. For example, when you move the glove-shaped cursor to a door, it turns from gray to white indicating that you can move Mickey there by pressing A. When he finishes walking there (press B at any time to stop him in his tracks) the cursor will change into a door shape indicating that the door can be opened. As you may have surmised, the gameplay can be quite simple as a result.

So far the game has been a series of "puzzles" many of which were absurdly easy. As you click things and the game progresses, events will occur which are shown in the way of real-time cut-scenes.

The animation and scripting is actually quite excellent, but the content will appeal most readily to youngsters and their parents due to the lack of an engaging real-time control system (which, among other things, makes Mario games more than bearable for adults). The game features a "kids" mode in addition to the normal mode which has even more simplified gameplay and the ability for a parent to use the second controller to guide their child's cursor. It could actually prove to be useful since the game seems to be top-notch material despite the fact that it skews to a decidedly younger audience.

Magical Mirror actually links up with the GBA title (Magical Quest starring Mickey and Minnie Mouse) that is being released on the same day. I haven't been able to use it yet, but the progress made in the Game Boy Advance game (which is compelling for people of all ages) is supposed to unlock certain items/features in the GameCube game. I'm guessing it will give access to areas of the mansion that are inaccessible otherwise (the game's lack of real-time control limits other options). To be precise, the GBA/GCN link up is not a real-time gameplay element; instead, Magical Mirror (GCN) simply uploads the progress from Magical Quest (GBA) and rewards you with items accordingly.

Speaking of the mansion, the game's graphical style belies its mascot's cartoon heritage. It isn't cel-shaded, but the textures and animation have a very strong cartoon look to them. While not mind-numbing, the graphics are very good overall, and there are some subtle (if not too ambitious) special effects that add to the appeal. The mansion itself is of a much lighter nature than the one found in Luigi's Mansion, though Mickey's main opponent is a ghost. The sound is appropriately cartoon-oriented with all the over-the-top squeals and pops that you would expect from a cartoon. The music is surprisingly good too.

I'm not very far into the game yet, so it's possible that it will become more engaging for someone of my age, but for now I'd have to recommend older kids and discerning adults to keep this to a rental and maybe check out the GBA game, Magical Quest. For parents with young children, this is definitely a game to consider. Look for a full review some time in the next week. Magical Mirror and Magical Quest should be in most stores on Tuesday.