That show was Mighty Morphin Power Ranges. And the legend lives on...N64 style. With more staying power than all the McHammers and Pogs combined, the Power Rangers have managed to remain popular, even in face of the now world-dominating Pokémon. The franchise, in all its inceptions, has spawned many console games, the earliest ones dating back to the Super Nintendo era. Five years later, those crazy multi-colored Gen-X' folk are back at it again in the latest edition, Power Ranger Lightspeed Rescue.

First and most importantly; a common misconception is that if you watched the show at an old age, that you would enjoy the videogame at an old age. Warning: this just isn't the case. Take it from me, someone who used to the program on the basis of poking fun at it. Aside from having the Pink Ranger at your control, Lightspeed Resuce fails to generate any significant effort to be challenging and thus, can't compare withthe current crop library of available action titles on the market. Essentially, Power Ranger's LightSpeed Rescue is definitely tailored for the younger audience, or those who have trouble dressing themselves.

While the show has changed and evolved throughout its life, the Power Ranging video game experience generally remains the same. Granted, now the rangers are kicking and punching around in three dimensions now, but overall plot and originality seems to have been set on stun. Essentially, yet another set of monsters have been sent to a quiet little town in order to take it - and eventually the world - over. It is the job of the Power Rangers to pull together and defeat this great evil, usually by means of slow-motion fighting over large cardboard buildings.

Played out in three 'episodes' (each episode made up of a succession of missions), Lightspeed Rescue places you (yes, you!) in control of the Rangers; albeit one at a time for as the plot dictates. While most of the game plays out in an annoyingly restrictive top-down 'wander around and fight' style, this monotony is occasionally lifted by equally mediocre driving, flying, and Megazord fighting sequences which serve to spice things up. Granted the game is 'rated E for everyone' and hence, geared for children, you can only justify the supreme simplicity and repetitious gameplay in these arcade-style mini-games for so long, eventually leading one to believe that it is more so lack of effort which makes these games as flat as they are. For the driving level, for instance, the main object is to run over hostages (in order to save them...?) while putting out fires and swerving alien spacecrafts shoot at you from a distance. Cool concept (go with me here), but it is a side scrolling chase where the road never bends and your car can never slow down. Flying is a bit more advanced, allowing for three dimensions, but THQ takes the fun out of operating a spaceship by making the streets so narrow and the levels so small that you feel more like you are being guided instead of doing the guiding. Lastly, Megazord fighting, while an awesome concept, is made drawn out with only three attacks at your disposal and a small square arena in which to fight. I mean, you can't even destroy buildings like they do in the show! It's a crime.

Though aside from these, most of the action, including the training levels, take place in the awry region aforementioned above. The environment, while initially enjoyable, soon becomes overused and missions begin to mesh into one another. Most of the time you will 2 button attack your way through hordes of monsters to find a hostage. But even this task has been made idiot proof by big white arrow pointing your way. Making it more frustrating is the fact that you are restricted from watching all this in a 3/4 top down view, unable to rotate or angle the environment.

The control are easy to adjust to, but lack a adequate diversity in actual action functions. For example, in the main level you can kick and release a colored energy ball and the driving/flying modes enable you to shoot and steer - it would be induce more excitment in kids if they could basically do...more! However, for tailoring the levels so that any young age can get right into the game, THQ succeeds in its manner of difficulty. This is a highly user-friendly title, packed with a adequate learning curve and sufficient challenge to qualify feeling proud upon beating it. Even if you didn't get enough Megazord action, gamers who successfully complete the game will unlock a handful of new characters to play in the multi-player battle mode.

Graphically, Lightspeed Rescue can impress even jaded cynics like myself. While it won't win an awards anytime soon, all the in-game elements do appear crisp and clear, notably during the flying sequences. It's unfortunate that the story is driven via SNES style comic book stills which remain uninspired and eventually makes it difficult to maintain interest. At certain points, the sequences merely consist of a palette swap to depict a different Ranger/background which depicts a lack of effort. Aside from that, as with sound and music, Lightspeed Rescue packs enough flash and appeal to entice younger gamers.

Fans of the series may enjoy the latest edition of the superhero quotient, which unfortunately, may be the only demographic which it will attract. Although the game is relatively easy to get into and simple enough to master, some of the younger gamers may get bored with the same style in which the missions play out in redundant fashion. Back in my day (yes, a long long time ago), this game would have probably done quite well among the limited selection that was available. In the present era, rivals such as Pokémon, among a shelf-load of other popular titles geared for the younger audience, it becomes apparent that Lightspeed Rescue just doesn't measure up to its competition.

Thus a series of questions present themeselves. Will this be the end of the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers? Will Lord what's-his-name finally win? Are the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers soon to fade into obscurity? If they don't have a good game soon, my friends, the answer is yes.

Agent Smith would like to make it clear that he can properly dress himself and still finds young children programs to watch (and make fun of).

· · · Agent Smith