If you haven't heard of High School Musical, you haven't had contact with anyone under the age of 14 in the last year or so. Along with Hannah Montana, High School Musical has helped to cement Disney's place with the "tween and younger" market - something that the company has smartly parlayed into the videogame market. Rather than rush related titles out, Disney Interactive has instead taken its time and developed some very interesting games with its properties, which is exactly what High School Musical: Makin' the Cut does.

Visuals aren't a particularly strong area for Makin' the Cut, though they take a backseat to music, which is High School Musical's big draw. All of the songs from the first movie are included in the game along with two songs from the recently released sequel. Although this makes for a healthy selection of music, you will hear every song multiple times - so non-fans picking up the game based on novelty should consider themselves warned.

The upside to hearing the songs over and over again is that it helps to give you a good feel for the songs. I only recently saw both movies, so going into the game I had no clue what the songs even sounded like. After making it through the first section, I had a good feel for the music, making later sections (which require a good dose of rhythm) easier. Still, some of the songs do wear thin after a while. While I'm sure there is a logical reason (my guess is memory limitations), it would have been great if more songs from the second movie were included.

The quality of the music is pretty good and on par with the quality heard in the Tony Hawk games or Elite Beat Agents. The confirmation sounds, which include an array of bleeps and instrument sounds, are kept low-key; they are loud enough that you can hear them, though not so loud that they interfere with the music.

What's here as far as visuals isn't that hard on the eyes. Stylized, low-polygon versions of the movie's main characters dance on the top screen. As you complete combos, the characters dance; though if you screw up, they begin flailing around or falling down. Locations from both movies are included, as are a few added ones, like Broadway. While in Quickplay, you can customize performers using accessories unlocked during Story Mode. In the end, though, visuals aren't that important since you'll spend most of the game staring at the bottom screen.

Again, High School Musical: Makin' the Cut takes a novel approach to gameplay - especially when compared to what usually passes for licensed games. Rather than going with a lame side-scroller or other templated design, Making the Cut plays to its strength (the music) and follows in the footsteps of Elite Beat Agents/ Ouendan.

Makin' the Cut takes place between the two movies. A nation-wide talent show is in town and Sharpay eagerly signs the EHS Drama Club up for the competition. Although there are a few sub-plots that play out between songs, the game's story mainly acts as a vehicle to get you through competitions. The game is broken up between competition levels, beginning with the Local competition and ending with the National one. Competitions are broken up into three play types; Dance, Instrument and Video Maker.

The first two share similar play styles; symbols appear on the bottom screen and you press each in-time with the music as it plays. When playing in Dance competitions, you'll have to hit the symbols in a particular order which -- conveniently enough -- match the rhythm of the songs. Instrumental competitions are similar, though instead of following the song's rhythm, you play rhythms that compliment the song. Instrumental sectionals also throw in a few different twists such as symbols you need to slide across and the option of choosing different instrument types, each with their own score multipliers.

The one competition style I failed to get a handle on was Video Maker. The mode doesn't seem to have much of a point - all you do is slide the stylus between cameras and occasionally tap different special effects like fireworks and lights. Though the tutorial makes it sound like it is an involving section, it doesn't play like one. Video Maker sections only pop up at the end of every section and it doesn't seem like you can "lose" them, so they really don't matter in the long run.

Outside Story Mode, you can play in Quick Play, which allows you to play through any song in the game whenever you want. You can also play with the Video Maker and share your creations with friends or compete in a local Multiplayer game.

If you lack rhythm or dexterity, High School Musical: Makin' the Cut will be more of a chore than a game. You may be able to keep up in the lower competition levels, though you'll have a rough time in higher ones. Unlike other rhythm games, it doesn't seem like you can "fail" songs to the point where they stop mid-song; instead you'll simply earn a low grade and miss out on unlockable accessories.

I was able to blast through the game in a matter of hours with pretty high rankings - even when I completely screwed up. Gameplay is also overly forgiving, so even if you do miss a large section of a song you can still regroup and score big on the rest of it. While I'm sure the game's target audience played into this decision, it does take away some of the challenge and kills replay value (unless you REALLY like the music).

The underlying mechanics behind High School Musical: Makin' the Cut are pretty simple; you tap symbols in time with the music. Although the limited song selection does get tiresome, gameplay is engaging enough that you may not notice too much (unless you REALLY grow to despise the music). As you move up through the competition ranks, the symbol patterns become more complicated. Early levels follow the basic beat, while in higher ones you're practically tapping out every syllable. So, while you may be listening to the same songs, you're not performing the same actions. The timers on each symbol also speed up.

One of the more original spins Makin' the Cut puts on the Elite Beat Agents/ Ouendan formula are the mini-games that appear between sections of the songs. Sometimes you'll have to drag a basketball through a hoop while in others, you'll have to trace out a symbol before a meter runs out. Later on, you'll have to perform these actions while keeping an eye on the rhythm symbols, adding another slight level of complexity.

If anything, Disney Interactive deserves credit for doing something different and playing to High School Musical's main strength. Although I wasn't too happy with some of the gameplay decisions that were made, mostly in regards to difficulty, High School Musical: Makin' the Cut is still a fun game, at least for fans. Although I'm tempted to recommend Making the Cut to Elite Beat Agent fans, the lack of difficulty and brevity of the game will likely disappoint.