Predictably, Rush Hour 3 only really comes to life when Chan raises his fists for some kung fu tomfoolery. Akin to arcade classics such as Double Dragon and Final Fight, you're called upon to tackle wave after wave of scurrilous baddies that are hell-bent on breaking a few more of Chan's already battered bones.
Standard punch and kick combinations can be used here, but it's much more fun to bring furniture and nearby objects into play in order to defeat your quarry. For example, by standing next to a chair and pressing the appropriate button, you can swiftly kick the aforementioned seating device in the direction of oncoming bad guys – just as Chan himself is so eager on doing in his movies. It's a nice touch that at least goes some way to acknowledging the exploits of the great man himself.
Graphically the game is impressive, with the aforementioned driving sections looking particularly appetizing. Production is of a high standard throughout, though, with each character possessing a detailed appearance and nice, fluid animation.
Sadly, for all the effort that has been lavished upon Rush Hour 3 by the developer, it suffers from some fatal drawbacks. Loading times are painfully protracted, often taking as long as 15 seconds to unveil the next sequence.
The aforementioned repetitiveness of the game modes also does much to kill any satisfaction one might have gained from playing, but the most unsatisfactory aspect is the size of the game – within the space of half an hour of play we'd comfortably bested the final boss and seen all the title had to offer.
Although Chan's movies are hardly classic cinema, they're usually entertaining enough. Rush Hour 3 is no exception and while it's unlikely to go down as the actor's greatest celluloid achievement, it certainly deserves better than being accompanied by this rather tepid mobile phone release. Our advice is to save your pennies and catch the film at the flicks – like the game, it's all style and very little substance but it is a much more entertaining and worthwhile use of your time.
