What ever happened to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? What happened to the cute, sweet and adorable twins that we all grew up watching in the television series, Full House? Oh yea, they grew up! Well, they are in the process of growing up, but according to the horny guys of the world, Mary-Kate and Ashley are quite the hot stuff. I personally do not think they are anything special, in fact, I liked them much more when they didn't say much. Since this has pretty much nothing to do with the review, lets jump into the details of their latest videogame incarnation, Mary-Kate and Ashley: Sweet 16.

Being that the game doesn't interest me personally, I have to take into large consideration that this is a "real game for a real girl," and not for an older guy like myself. Sweet 16 is indeed a party game, which means it is more fun when played with a couple other friends. While nothing special, I can picture younger girls, mainly Mary-Kate and Ashley fans, sitting down and getting a riot out of this multiplayer experience.

Play as Mary-Kate or Ashley in an all title

Earn a driver's license to go cruising and enjoy classic, party-style gameplay

Over 30 mini-games to play, including Birthday Blowout, Caught Up in Fashion and Freeway Frenzy

Head-to-head play with up to three friends, or together in teams

Customize cars, unlock clothes, cool tunes and gain control of the car stereo

In-game music from Mary-Kate and Ashley's latest movie, Getting There

Runs in progressive scan mode

As far as gameplay goes, the easiest comparison to Sweet 16 would be Nintendo's Mario Party 4. In Sweet 16, the game takes place on a game board, where as players must take turns "rolling the dice" that determines how many places your character gets to move. Instead of walking though, you get to cruise across the game board in your very own car. The board itself is in 3D, and resembles a city. Landing on the different pre-set spots, you will compete in many different challenges and mini-games. When not playing against other humans, the AI will fill in the open spots, but it is quite annoying because you have to sit and wait for each opponent to slowly drive to their spot while stopping at the stop signs, pick up a friend, following the rules of the road, etc. It gets quite repetitive, especially since the game board is not that big to begin with. For this reason alone, the game is best played by far with a couple buddies.

I suppose it is difficult to create a party game, with a diverse and large amount of mini-games that will keep the gamers attention for months on end. Actually, it is very difficult, and this is where Sweet 16 falls a bit short. The mini games range from racing (cars, jetskis, ATVs, more) to mind numbing matching matches, to tag, shopping, and even a photo shoot competition. For the most part though, the matches are fairly easy, which it really helps to be either really young, a Mary-Kate and Ashley fanatic, or both.

Mary-Kate and Ashley: Sweet 16 sports decent graphics at best. While the full 3D environments are clean, crisp and colorful, they lack that extra umph in almost every which way. This isn't necessarily a huge deal though, since graphics do not usually play a large role in party games. Don't expect high poly count characters or environments, and occasionally there is a slight decline in framerate. On the plus side, Sweet 16 runs in progessive scan mode for televisions that support it. Overall, Sweet 16 is graphically nothing special, but hey folks, it's a freakin' party game, not Metroid Prime!

The Audio department? Audio, what audio? Mary-Kate and Ashley: Sweet 16 offers minimal sound effects. Besides the occasional voice over, your ears will be tuning into the short and repetitive sound track. When I played by myself, I was getting quite annoyed; luckily though when I forced a couple friends to play with me, we were quickly zoned out by our own competitive gaming habits to pay attention to the audio.

Like I said before, in order to even contemplate purchasing Mary-Kate and Ashley: Sweet 16, you are probably a girl, a die hard Olsen twin fan, or both. If you are a gamer like me, and looking for a good multiplayer experience, there are alternatives. Young girls, older girls, Olen twin fanatics, you'll like this game. Everybody else, rent at your own risk.