Nobody puts Baby in a corner!

Remember the 1987 hit movie “Dirty Dancing”?

Wow, 1987?! Has it really been that long? Gosh I feel old. Anyhow, who can forget the incredible dancing, cool soundtrack, the hunky Patrick Swayze, and Jennifer Grey with her original nose?

I don’t know about you but I never, ever said to myself "Self, I'd sure like to play a videogame based on the movie Dirty Dancing."

Fatal Attraction, yes, but Dirty Dancing, no. Ahh, what do I know? Apparently, not much, since “Dirty Dancing The Video Game”, from the folks at Codemasters Online Gaming is here! (Please tell me you are as confused as I am.)

The storyline is loosely based on the movie, and revolves around you staying at the Kellerman Mountain House while training to compete in a dance contest. The first thing to do is design your avatar. Then you must design your cabin by buying furniture and rearranging it to make the place feel more like home. Once you're settled in, you can explore the camp grounds and start playing the minigames.

And about those mini games - umm, there are a lot!

Such as:

Pinockle Mahjong: match 40 cards by suit and number

Breakfast Buffet: a match-3 game

Bell Boy Bedlam: a time management puzzler

Talent Show: a hidden object game

Trivia: for all you movie buffs packed with all kinds of trivia questions about the film.

Melon Mayhem: maneuver a watermelon across the dance floor.

See, I told you there were a lot of minigames! Unfortunately, quantity doesn’t always equal quality. These games aren’t really that much fun and feel pretty shallow.

What about the dancing? Hold on, I'm getting there! In order to win the game, you will need to buy new dance steps. Once you've unlocked them, you will need to learn how to dance. You must click the dancing steps as they flash on the screen. Sounds pretty simple right? But beware, precision counts, precise clicks earns you a higher score. Exact timing also counts as well - you must wait for the steps to flash green before you click them, or else you stumble. You are shown a meter called a “confidence meter” which goes up and down, depending on how well you do. When your confidence has run out, the dance is over. Learning all the steps correctly will unlock the final dance. Then the dance competition is under way!

Except for the Trivia minigame you don't need to have seen the movie to enjoy the game, which means even the younger generation should be able to play. However, since most of the appeal comes from the movie tie-in, I really don’t see the point in playing unless you are at least a little familiar with the movie.

Having said that however, I do have to say that the storyline within the game is kind of weak and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But then again the movie storyline didn’t make a whole lot of sense either! Movie Spoiler Alert: I mean c’mon if you're on vacation with your family, why are you working so hard? And why is Patrick Swayze’s character, Johnny who is clearly too old for Baby able to hang out with her? And who has a ridiculous name like Baby anyway? These things are never explained. Well if a Dirty Dancing Video Game can be made then I guess this means a “Three Men and a Baby” game, complete with diaper changing challenges, can't be too far behind; considering it's their 20^th anniversary too you know!

For the record I love the ‘80s! And if you're like me and are craving some “80’s nostalgia, “Dirty Dancing The Videogame” might be worth a look-see only because of all the things it has you do, but the gameplay is just so-so. I'd like to say "I had the time of my life," but I wasn’t quite feeling the music.