Advantages: It aesthetics are impressive
Disadvantages: The perfomances are poor and the story is quite rushed

...he Golden Compass is the latest fantasy adventure to come our way. Like many of the fantasy films that have come out in recent years (Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia), The Golden Compass was originally a book. The Golden Compass (Northern Lights to many including myself) was the first book in Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials Trilogy. However, I believe it can be said that The Golden Compass did not do justice to its original medium. The film at time felt rushed (although this is understandable due to time restraints) meaning that some of the less superficial aspects of the story may have been over looked. The setting for The Golden Compass is an alternate world from our own, Jordan in Oxford. It is a world where people have daemons in the form of animals that are similar to our own conscience and soul. The story revolves... Read review

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Advantages: excellent role playing with great story
Disadvantages: none

...A great role playing game suitable for ages 10+, I think younger children may have difficulity with some of the challenges including de-coding the golden compass' symbols which is required to progress in the game. This game is taken from the movie & does include several movie clips, the graphics are good & the story easy to follow, it is easy to become all 3 playable characters Lyra, Pan & Iorek which is what you want from a role playing game. The main character is Lyra who from the comfort of her college in Oxford embarks on an epic adventure that takes her to the icy kingdoms of the north where her goal is to save the children who have been kidnapped by the gobblers because if she does not rescue them they undergo something more painful than death!!! As Lyra is a small child she is unable to accomplish this on her own so she calls... Read review

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Advantages: good game with clips of film on
Disadvantages: can only save the game at the end of each level

...... Read review

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Advantages: ermm.. follows the book a little
Disadvantages: bad gameplay, poor graphics, bad camera/control

...IT'S UNBEARABLE TO SEE A GOOD BOOK TURN INTO A CRAP GAME. First it was called Northern Lights, and then when they were making the film they changed the name to The Golden Compass. If you have read the book you'll know most of the characters like Lyra, Pan roger or Lorek. If you've seen the movie you'll find the game really broken with bad control quality and dead graphics, like the Chronicles of Narnia which was another broken game that a load of people bought and found out that it was awful. Gameplay really straight forward when you're playing as Lyra and Pan. Pan can change to other animals like Hawk, Sloth or Wildcat to get them to high places or to climb. Also there are items to collect to evade or deceive enemies where there are a few mini games while you're talking to a person in order to move on or get something rare... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic CGI - brilliant storyline - stunning setting.
Disadvantages: Too short.

...in the clutches of Mrs. Coulter, a member of this organisation who seems to have a particular interest in her - Lyra manages to escape, and is saved by a clan of Gyptians who are travelling to the North in order to find their kidnapped children. Having been given a golden compass by the Master at her school just before her departure with Mrs. Coulter, Lyra discovers, from the Gyptians, its true purpose. Supposedly, the golden compass allows those with the 'gift' to see the truth, to look into the past and the future, and Lyra possesses that 'gift'. During her voyage to the North, Lyra learns how to read the compass, and uses it to help people along the way... including Iorek Byrnison, an armoured bear, who has been captured and forced to serve humans. Lyra helps him find his armour, which is, for the bears, as much a part of them as the daemons... Read review

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Advantages: for kids big and small
Disadvantages: none

...THE GOLDEN COMPASS. The plot: The plot on this is pretty good, it starts off with this orphan girl named lyra. In her world every human person has a pet which guides them and in this film they are called daemon's. Because she is young, Lyra's daemon can change his shape to appear as any animal he chooses. Adults' daemons settle in to one shape and don't change. There has been many children going missing from lyras town and they have been getting stolen off people they call goblins, and lyra is the only one who can find out where they are by reading a golden compass that reveals anything that is hidden. She then gets into trouble with the leader of the goblins and then runs away from her ( yes the leader of the goblins turns out to be a woman) she then gets saved by the Egyptians and they all go on the hunt for the missing children... Read review

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Advantages: Simple alethiometer reading, multiple characters
Disadvantages: Frustrating at times, hard to control

...While I am generally disappointed with the film adaptation of "The Golden Compass", aka "Northern Lights", something attracted me to the video game. The DS version is nothing like the console versions; indeed, it runs on a completely separate codebase. The first thing which you will probably notice is the level design. The console versions have complete 3D levels, whereas the DS version is what is commonly called "2.5D" - 3D characters, object and levels viewed from a fixed perspective. While some may think this makes it worse than its console counterparts, the platform view is comfortable and familiar, and the game is enjoyable regardless. Another element of gameplay worth mentioning is control of Pantalaimon. In the console versions, he is more of a 'tool' for Lyra to use. In the DS version, players can take control of Pantalaimon... Read review

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Advantages: great cast
Disadvantages: almost all of it

...To day I went to the cinema to see The Golden Compass. I had no idea what this was about apart from what id seen on the adverts on TV. So I will right the review based only on what I saw on the screen, no extra bits about who made it, the full cast list or how much money it made at the box office, just my honest opinion about what happened on the screen. Here goes, the film is set in a alternate dimension where every one has a demon guide in the shape of a animal by there side, this is there soul (though, there purpose is unclear as they have no relevance in the film) the land is ruled by the "magistarium" a kind of monarchy who don't want any one to know about other dimensions (like ours) and oppose free thinking. This land is home to talking animal's witches and gyptians (these are like gypsies but like to travel by ship... Read review

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Advantages: Good gameplay, suitable for everyone, full 3D worlds
Disadvantages: Repetitive music, graphics downgraded, loading times

...Personally, I am a great fan of the book "The Golden Compass", also known as "Northern Lights" in the United Kingdom. When I saw the film, I was disappointed with it, like many other fans. Even so, something drove me to buy the Wii game, and I'm glad to have made that choice. The game is full of action and adventure; full 3D worlds with plenty of interactivity; bonus tasks and extras. Players can unlock film-related "featurettes" to watch before or after a play session, as well as scenes from the film. It is immensely satisfying to play the game for hours, then watch a short, related video as a reward. But that's not to say simply playing the game for hours is not satisfying; playing as Lyra, Pan or Iorek, there is plenty of fun to be had. Pan has four forms in the game; ermine, eagle, sloth and wildcat. As an ermine, you can use... Read review

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Advantages: Fun and great acting and special effects
Disadvantages: Could be a little confusing to some people

...I have just purchased and watched this DVD and thought I would share my views on it as I thought it to be an excellent film and brilliant for all the family to watch. The Plot - The story follows Lyra who lives in another universe where everybody has their own daemons, which are their souls and these are animals. There is a group of people who want to take away children's daemons and do this by snatching them away and separating them from their daemons. Another group want to stop them and Lyra is the only person who can read the Golden Compass which is also known as an Alethiometer, which tells her the truth. She uses this to find out where the missing children are to rescue them. There are numerous other events along the way to that all add to this great story! The Characters - I thought the characters were great and the actors... Read review

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