[munchiez]

This review is for the Wii Zapper which comes packaged with Link's Crossbow Training, priced at £19.99 in the UK. That's roughly €30 or $40, although the price might differ depending on your country.

Assembly of the Zapper is quite simple - the Wii remote clips snugly into the top while the nunchuck slots on the back with a small clip to hold it in place. General build quality is excellent, as you'd expect from an official Nintendo product. Overall it feels sturdy although one small niggle is that the clip securing the nunchuck feels a little flimsy. The nunchuck wire tucks away inside the handle so it doesn't get in the way as you play. If you usually only play games that don't need the nunchuck, you can leave it fastened to the Zapper and simply press a button to release the remote.

The Zapper's two handles make it easy to keep a steady aim and it feels comfortable to hold, although the gap for the thumb behind the front handle might be a bit small for people with large hands. The trigger on the front handle is nice and smooth so you won't end up with an aching finger after a few hours' play.

The game that comes with the Zapper, Link's Crossbow Training, was a real surprise for me. I was expecting a token freebie game with primitive graphics and mediocre gameplay. In fact it's completely the opposite - the graphics are detailed and varied and there are 27 stages spanning three game types: shooting targets, defending yourself from a fixed position and walking around hunting enemies. There are even a couple of boss battles are thrown in for good measure. There are usually plenty of objects in the background that you can destroy for extra points and a few hidden bonuses to discover. Link's Crossbow Training is quite reminiscent of Namco's Point Blank, although there isn't quite as much variety.

It's not the toughest of games to beat - I was able to complete it with all the top medals in under five hours. The replay value is fantastic though. Many of the stages will have you going back to beat your high scores and it's great fun to play with friends - using the same Zapper up to four people can compete against each other.

Playing Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles with the Zapper makes for a more enjoyable experience, although waggling the remote and pressing A to dodge enemies became much more difficult. This is more of a problem with the game's controls rather than the Zapper and hopefully shouldn't be an issue with future titles developed with the Zapper in mind.

Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys shooting games or wants something fun to pick up and play with friends and family. Considering that you get a quality accessory and an entertaining game for almost half the price of an average title, you're not likely to find much better value for money.