Buena Vista opens up Wardrobe

In 1950, the first of author C.S. Lewis' beloved Chronicles of Narnia fantasy novels, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, was published. In 1988, it became the basis of a TV miniseries and was later turned into two low-budget direct-to-video cartoons. On December 9, the first major motion picture version of the novel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, will hit theaters across North America.

Starting today, fantasy fans will be able to enter the realm of Narnia in game form for the first time. Buena Vista Games announced it has shipped the multiplatform title The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The console versions are all rated T for Teen and retail for $49.99, while the T-rated PC version retails for $39.99. The $34.99 DS version is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older, while the $29.99 Game Boy Advance version bears the E for Everyone label.

Developed by Traveler's Tales (Lego Star Wars), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a third-person action game. It follows four British children--Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy--who find a magic portal inside, of all things, an old wardrobe. The portal leads to the mystical land of Narnia, which is being wracked by a conflict between Aslan, a magical and sentient lion, and the evil White Witch, who has enslaved the land and plunged it into endless winter.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe will let players control each of the children via team-based combat. They face a host of the White Witch's minions, including minoboars and werewolves, with their own individual skills and weaponry. The game will sport 15 lushly decorated levels taken directly from the film and will also have many a puzzle for players to solve. For more lore on the game, consult GameSpot's previous coverage.