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The Underminer, as he calls himself, announces his designs on global domination, and has an army of robot henchmen to support his ambitions. Leaving his family to deal with the chaos topside, Mr Incredible and mysterious newcomer Frozone descend into the subterranean realm of the Underminer, in the side-scrolling semi-3D platform adventure that is The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer.

In order to succeed in this mission you are required to play as both Mr Incredible and Frozone, using either the touch screen or the R button to switch between characters. Along the way the pair encounter traps, enemies and obstacles - some of which require a particular hero's abilities to overcome.

Mr Incredible's super strength allows him to lift heavy objects and pound enemies into scrap metal. Frozone is one cool customer: his powers include the ability to freeze certain objects - including enemies, which Mr Incredible can them pick up and throw, and create a slippery platform of ice, along which either character can glide.

Along the way the pair collects items that add to the overall points bonus, grant a boost to either stamina or power, or even an extra try (life). Stamina is lost when a character takes damage from either an enemy or a trap, and when it reaches zero the character falls to his knees with exhaustion, losing one try. Even though there are plenty of dangerous traps and deadly foes throughout the game, the gore factor is non-existent and there are no lives lost as such, earning Rise of the Underminer its kid-friendly PG rating.

Gameplay is relatively straightforward and controls easy to learn. The first level of the game is a tutorial; by the time you reach the end you are fairly adept with even the more complicated combo moves. We did experience the occasional moment of frustration when a series of different time-sensitive moves was required.

Multiplayer mode allows you to play co-operatively with another Nintendo DS owner, although another copy of the game is required in order to do so. The player hosting the game is able to choose the level of difficulty (there are three), as well as accepting or rejecting any players wishing to join their game. Multiplayer does away with the character switching, placing both Mr Incredible and Frozone onscreen at the same time.

Graphics are typically Disney cartoonish, with the characters clearly defined - even though they are at times very small. The action takes place on the top screen with the lower touch screen relegated to decoration, aside from the occasional jab or swipe with the stylus to switch characters or direct an attack. The repetitive action movie background music is okay for short bursts, but it's not something you'd want to listen to for extended gaming sessions.

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer is definitely aimed at the younger market - particularly boys, most of whom will jump at the chance to play a superhero. Older gamers and fans of the original Disney Pixar movie may enjoy it too, although its repetitive nature and lack of difficulty is unlikely to capture their imagination - or attention, for long.

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer is also available for Xbox, PS2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and PC.