Back for the second instalment of Olympic Games, the world’s most famous plumber and the world's bluest hedgehog compete against each other and their motley crew of friends, in the sequel to the well received Mario and Sonic at the Olympics.

The previous game sold by the bucketload so it’s hardly a surprise that there was going to another released this year.  Are there any noticeable improvements or will this just be the same game, rehashed with a snowy backdrop?

There is a slight improvement in the visuals, with each character model looking a little sharper and the backdrops have been given a minor facelift.  Added little touches like reflections in ice and glistening snow are prominent all through the different events, if you can notice them while zooming through the bobsled course or zig-zagging down an alpine slope.

The wiimote controls are responsive and simplistic, which is a necessity in a game which is aimed at the “casual” gamer.  This is the type of game which the wii seems to be pushing on the whole population.  Kids and Grannies will have no problem controlling the characters down slaloms or making their screen persona figure-skate to swan lake.  An added bonus is the inclusion of the option to use the balance board for some events, allowing you to steer and jump your way through and over the various obstacles.  There is no option to use the balance board during festival play however, which does limit the amount of interactivity.  There is a hugely missed opportunity to include the motion plus option but as I said, the controls work fine for what is essentially a compilation of different mini games.

There are 27 different mini games which contain the usual mix of fantastic events and downright boring events.  The bobsled event is fun, if not over simplistic.  The controls require you to hold the wiimote upright and simply lean it in the direction of the corners, the figure skating requires you to move the remote in time to the music a la any rhythm game on the market.  The skiing games are fantastic fun and there is a great sense of speed and achievement when you manage to get down the course without swerving off the track. 

The speed skating, curling and ice hockey are examples of how they got it wrong though.  Speed skating descends into a boring monotonous wii waving spectacle with no real need to even look at the screen once you have the rhythm.  The curling is fun at first, taking a mix of wii sports bowling controls and adding a little bit of wiimote wiggling to control the sweepers.  Unfortunately, the event is overlong and becomes tedious very, very quickly.  Ice hockey could have been a contender for the “good” pile but it seems like a great idea was rushed and over simplified to be added into the game.  It plays very like Mario Striker but there is no real sense of control over the characters and it feels too random as to when goals are scored and not scored.