Somehow, director Spike Jonze created a full-length movie inspired by a book that doesn't have more than ten sentences. Similarly, Warner Bros. Interactive published a video game based on Where the Wild Things Are, where you control a wily young kid named Max as he parties with a bunch of creatures.

The Wild Things certainly like to cha-cha. Click to see more images from the game...

The boy, Max, builds the imaginative world of the Wild Things in his mind. He arrives on their island via boat, and the opening stage walks you through all his moves. Max has a surprising amount of athletic ability for a kid his age, able to swing across branches and shimmy over narrow ledges. He also carries a scepter, which enables him to smack fireflies and electric bugs. In addition, he can pick up water seeds, which he uses to grow plants that hide special hidden goodies, including collectibles and stars. You'll unlock more abilities over the course of the game, like being able to throw rocks or have your Wild Things knock down objects to reach new areas. You'll need them, as a strange, dark force slowly takes over the island.

Along with the platforming segments, Where the Wild Things Are also has a pair of racing stages. The first lets you ride atop Carol, a large beast in the Wild Things' camp. You'll hang on for dear life as he speeds through the woods, dodging trees by jumping over and sliding under them. The other segment involves you getting back in your boat, avoiding whirlpools and reaching dry land in one piece. These stages do a good job of breaking up the platform segments, and we wish there were more of them.

That's not to say the game isn't fun. Where the Wild Things Are is a breezy little adventure. However, it only lasts a few hours, and once it's over, all that's left for you to do is hang around the Wild Things' village. It's amusing to dance with them and interact with different objects, including wings that give you the ability to fly and collectibles that unlock new areas, but you'll be done with everything it has to offer sooner than later.

Developer Griptonite Games does a good job with the graphics. The Wild Things look just like their movie counterparts, right down to Carol's toothy grin and curly horns. The level design is straightforward, but there are some areas to explore for hidden collectibles and a few hidden paths in the village to discover. However, in several parts of the game, we ran across slowdown, where the game struggles to process everything that happens on screen. Also, Max's animation isn't on par with the Wild Things'. There are times when this hyper little kid is too jumpy for his own good, most notably when he's climbing onto Carol's back.

Fortunately, the audio delivers. Small music cues were taken from the film, adding to the atmosphere. The voice acting is terrific as well, with the Wild Things sounding just like their movie characters. Carol's voiceover sounds so much like James Gandolfini that we're hard-pressed to tell if it's the real deal or another actor.

Where the Wild Things Are doesn't earn a strong recommendation. Although the platforming isn't bad, the lack of replay value and small visual problems take away from the overall adventure. However, if you've got kids or you're a fan of Spike Jonze's film, you might be up for some Rumpus.