Kim Possible: Global Gemini takes the style and groundwork laid out for the DS by Kim Possible: Kimmunicator and builds on it to make an all around better game.

Where the last DS title was a side-scrolling game that was still rendered in full 3D, but with low poly-counts and a severe lack of detail in anything that wasn't the main characters; Global Gemini is still a side-scroller, but the level of detail in the environments and levels has definitely gone up.

Global Gemini's background music isn't all that bad. Of course the show's theme music is prominent and all of the other scores present in the game definitely feel like they belong in the show. What was missing was any kind of voice-acting. Instead of having the series' cast advance the plot, we are treated to stills of the characters as text scrolls across the screen.

Once again, the Worldwide Evil Empire, led by mastermind Gemini, is up to no good and after a brief training mission, Kim Possible and her side-kick Ron Stoppable are going to kick some WEE butt.

Kim Possible: Global Gemini contains 17 missions that are a mix between story-advancing missions and WHAT missions. WHAT missions are simulators that Wade opens up for Kim to train on new gadgets and improve her general skills. These WHAT missions (WHAT stands for Wade's Holographic-Artificial Training) occur throughout the game and appear whenever Kim needs to learn how to use a new gadget (like her mini-chute).

In these missions, you have a limited amount of time to get from one end of the level to the other. If you die in the level, you do not lose any lives, but you are immediately knocked back into the level-selection screen.

The other levels will take you from the highest mountains to the driest deserts in order to hunt down Gemini, Adrena Lynn and Motor Ed, the three main villains in this game. You will also collect various outfits for Kim. These don't really affect your character's performance or anything, but those people who don't consider a game beat until they have gotten all the goodies will want to keep an eye out for these.

Global Gemini also adds multiplayer functionality (Kimmunicator was just one-player). You and a friend can go head to head in races on everything from mopeds to snowboards. These are fun little races, but if you don't have a friend who has the game then you can't play and aren't really missing all that much anyway.

Kim Possible: Global Gemini's difficulty level is about average for this type of game. I found myself making steady headway throughout the game and by no means did I ever feel overwhelmed. Though I rarely found myself dying in this game, I can definitely see several locations where younger gamers (the target audience) would find it challenging. But all in all, there weren't any obstacles that seemed too big to overcome, even from the point of view of a younger gamer.

Basically it comes down to experience with this title. I doubt any gamer who has played platformers for any length of time will have trouble blowing through this story in a few hours (I went through the game the first time in a car trip between Baton Rouge and Houston -- which is about 4 1/2 hours). If, on the other hand, you are still working on your hand-eye coordination, then you might find this title to be a bit more of a hassle since the grappling hook is used to swing across large holes many times. If you don't get your timing right for those, you will either die or have to trudge back up to the top of some platform and go at it again.

It wouldn't be a Kim Possible game without gadgets, and Kim Possible: Global Gemini has plenty of them. These various tools have always added just the right touch to the game and their various effects makes the series more than just another platformer.

Kim's gadgets include (but aren't limited to) the Grappling Hook and Glue Lipstick. She can also swing across large holes or create trampolines out of smaller ones. Ron's gadgets include his Watch Shield, which makes for a nice defensive mechanism, and his Rocket Boots which make up for his lack of double-jumping capabilities. And, of course. Rob has trusty ol' Rufus. These various tools are assigned to the X and A buttons by tapping them on the touch-screen.

If you played and liked the previous DS title, then this game is definitely one you should pick up. If you are a fan of the cartoon and haven't played any of the games before, then Global Gemini is a good place to start. If you don't really fit in either of those categories, but like platformers, then you might want to try this title out as well.