SpongeBob Bowling

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea, and somehow has the tendency into transforming himself into a bowling ball to knock down robotic pins? Well, if you said SpongeBob SquarePants, you're right. THQ has brought forth another SpongeBob effort for your mobile phone in the form of SpongeBob SquarePants Bowling, featuring everyone's favorite absorbent hero and his pals battling Plankton's evil robotic minions by way of...bowling. Hey, what'd you expect, lawn darts?

The game remains a fun romp for kids. You can choose from five different characters, all of which bring their own unique attributes to the game that will help them score with strikes and spares. It's got a tricky control system that takes a little work at getting used to, including the ability to aim, set up power, and ball position, but it still somewhat works. I still prefer the smoothness of JAMDAT Bowling, but that's just me.

As far as graphics and sound, THQ and Backbone have a presentation here that fans will eat up. The graphics are smooth enough, offering goodness from the show in spades including somewhat smooth animation and some humorous detail. The sound is also present, thanks to bubbling noises and little things that make the experience a little more fun-loving than you might expect.

SpongeBob SquarePants Bowling also offers a gracious Tournament mode that will allow you to unlock new characters and challenge current ones to see who's the best bowler, and you can even upload your score to challenge a leaderboard. It takes a little time to get done, but bowling fans should like it.

I dunno, I'm still torn into keeping up on my JAMDAT Bowling scores to really give this game a full recommendation. It just seems kind of distracting for older gamers. However, younger ones and fans of the show will certainly eat up SpongeBob SquarePants Bowling for the short yet sweet experience that it is.