Oompa Loompas can't balance checkbooks. They can't make shoes worth a damn. However, put them in charge of some quadrant in a candy factory and magic ensues. They can probably fix things up pretty well, too. At least, that's something you can learn from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Globalstar's video game take on the just-released Tim Burton film. Like any licensed game, it attempts to recreate the experience of the film as a game players can enjoy. Unfortunately, like most of these conversions, it comes up just short of being as addictive as an Everlasting Gobstopper.

The game puts you in the shoes of young Charlie Bucket, a down-on-his-luck kid who soon finds himself the lucky winner of one of five Golden Tickets scattered throughout the entire world, which allows him entry into Willy Wonka's secret chocolate factory, one of the largest, and most mysterious buildings in his small town. Wonka himself is a recluse, a little on the off side yet serious when it comes to creating confections of grandeur. The game unfolds at the beginning with Charlie getting the Ticket, and then venturing through the Factory, where the other brats selected for the contest are wreaking havoc. They leave behind messes and break machinery, and it's up to Charlie's quick thinking to save the day before the factory gets out of hand.

I never got around to reading the book itself (damn my expired library card), but I did check out the original 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, featuring Gene Wilder in a show-stopping performance as the candy maker. I'll be seeing the remake soon enough, as I hear that the team of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have again created magic. That's a bit kinder word than I can drop on the game, however.

It's not like it's a lack of trying. High Voltage Software has been in similar territory before, making a game based on Disney's The Haunted Mansion a little while back. Like that game, Charlie has some good ideas under it's belt but comes up short from being an entirely enjoyable gaming experience.

First off, it's too easy. Globalstar and High Voltage have made the game strictly for kids, leaving those older fans of the film out in the cold. Even the most complex puzzles can be solved rather easily. However, kudos to High Voltage for allowing Charlie to use Wonka's tools of the trade for fixing machinery, like being able to command the strange Oompa Loompas and even using candy at particular points, like throwable Everlasting Gobstoppers. I just wish more complexity was involved.

Second, as inspired as High Voltage might have been by the design of Burton's film, it seems to be lacking somewhat. Some of the level design seems a bit droll, although some details stick out that make you feel like you're in the middle of the factory. The sound is alright as well, with decent voicework and lively music. It's just...well, think of it like being shown around a cardboard village instead of the real factory.

And third, the game lacks extras. Once it's beaten, it's beaten, and there's really nothing to come back to. I guess the first time through the factory is supposed to create a sense of wonder, but come on, at least give us something to see the second time around.

If you're a fan of the Roald Dahl book or you just can't resist having Wonka in your game library, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory isn't a total waste. At least High Voltage tried their best to incorporate some play mechanics into an otherwise average platforming affair. Fans will want to look and see what it has to offer, but it's just not sweet enough for my nature. That doesn't make me like Augustus Gloop, does it?