A few months ago, Konami's use of the ESPN license expired, much to the relief of sports video game fanatics everywhere. The combination of Konami's name with the ESPN brand didn't do much for the games they released – the titles were so painful they need not be listed.

While ESPN has since hooked up with Sega, Konami has opted to go an entirely different route by associating their sports titles with the Disney brand name. The result? A cornucopia of sports titles, including basketball, skateboarding, football, snowboarding, motocross, and soccer for the Game Boy Advance and GameCube. All, of course, star Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Pluto, and other well-known (and obscure) Disney characters.

While I have not played the GameCube version of Disney Sports Soccer, the GBA edition is an unremarkable game that plays like a standard soccer title with Disney characters thrown on the rosters -- and that's about it.

The game play is pretty straightforward, accentuating tackles, fast rushes up the field, and shots on net. Having played everything from FIFA to Virtua Striker on the GameCube, there's nothing all that interesting or different about Disney Sports Soccer on the GBA in terms of its speed or game play. I expected a little more in the way of comical action considering the Disney license, but to no avail.

The controls are a little confusing due to their layout. This is particularly true for the younger audience the title is aimed at. The B button passes, the A shoots/tackles, and running turbo and switching players is accomplished by pressing the R shoulder button. The L shoulder introduces the game's only real Disney-like element -- Magic -- which, among other things, enables you to warp in front of your opponent's net, utilize a clap of thunder to freeze your opponent, and run faster than anyone else on the playing field.

These Magic items can be earned by playing through the Challenge Cup, one of several modes included in Disney Sports Soccer. You can select from three different skill levels and take your team all the way to the championship, unlocking items to use in the game's other modes, including the Dream Cup and Exhibition. There are also a group of mini-games where you can practice your skills, and kids will enjoy hooking up their GBAs for multi-player action (there's also the ability to link with the GameCube version as well).

The various Disney characters have been grouped into assorted teams (Mickey and Minnie play together, Goofy and all of his friends do, etc.), but one of the problems of the GBA edition is that the so-so graphics don't do a very good job articulating the different look of the players.

Once Disney Sports Soccer is turned on, the player is treated to a nice intro movie with solid animation only to find out the look of the game itself is quite undistinguished. Characters flicker, the frame rate isn't good, and if the player couldn't read the characters’ names appearing at the bottom of the screen, they would have little idea who they’re playing as. It often looks like a generic NES title, and considering the Disney license, this comes as a major disappointment.

The audio, on the other hand, is a lame assortment of standard Japanese "musical wallpaper" that you'll quickly want to turn off.

Overall, older kids might enjoy Disney Sports Soccer, but it may prove to be too frustrating for very young children. Certainly the youngsters won't be all that captivated by the routine and uninspired look of the game, which plays like a standard soccer title with the Disney characters thrown in for the sake of the license. Mickey and friends definitely deserved better.