Also Available On: N/A
Publisher: Codemasters
Age Rating: 12+

With many similarities to Crazy Taxi, this high-speed race against the clock game has you hurtling from one destination to the next.

Players are put in charge of three emergency services in the fictional Crisis City, driving an ambulance, police car or fire truck as they bid to save citizens while getting escaped animals back to the local zoo.

Over 30 missions adorn the game, which are very simplistic in their nature. Drive into a baddie, drive somewhere carefully, defuse a bomb or rescue people from a burning building.

Each mission includes a visible countdown and you need to complete your objective before it hits zero or you’ll find yourself starting from the beginning. Pick-ups along the way extend the time and when a mission is complete the next one is unlocked.

The biggest problem with Emergency Mayhem is the fact that it’s always difficult to work out where your next destination is. There is no on-screen map as you’re simply given a description of where you need to go and an often wayward ‘this way’ arrow. Memorising locations beforehand in order to know where it means is best, but it certainly proves frustrating in the early stages.

The animal side of things tries to add humour to the experience, as you throw bananas at out-of-control monkeys or round up mischievous penguins. Although they are a novelty at first, it all soon becomes a little tiresome and you soon wish there was simply more to the driving side of things.

The 30 mini-games included in the game offer some depth to the play, as you use the Wii Remote to perform CPR, or to direct water from a hose to a burning building. But while they are a nice distraction, essentially that is all they are as they never seem to last very long.

Graphics in the game are cartoon-like as they are big, bright and bold. But they serve their purpose well and give the game a retro feel as your vehicles race about town.

Overall, however, Emergency Mayhem just doesn’t have enough variation to hold your attention for long. It’s fun at first, but the often tight time limits, poor navigation and repetitive gameplay means your interest will soon wane. While Crazy Taxi had a sense of fun, the simple missions and the irritating niggles found here will soon have you looking for the off switch.