The game follows an Arabian theme and sees Sonic getting a plea for help from a female genie called Shahra. She is in desperate trouble due to the antics of an evil genie known as Erazor who is intent on wiping out her world.

Sonic being Sonic goes to help the poor lady, only to find himself with a burning arrow in his chest slowly sucking the life out of him. The only way he can save himself (and inevitably save the world) is to collect the Seven Rings that are scattered throughout the Arabian type landscape. And so the desperately shit story unfolds as you are set to delve into what could be one of the best Sonic titles since the Sonic Advance series.

I’m not sure whether it is because SEGA have learned the error of their ways or whether they want to get the most out of the Wii controller but either way Sonic And The Secret Rings is the closest thing you will get to a proper (yes, proper) Sonic game.

This is Sonics first solo outing since Sonic CD on the ill-fated Mega CD console and the buzz has really grown for this game over the past few weeks or so. You hold your Wii Remote sideways (like a NES controller) and the game will constantly have Sonic running along a set path. You will need to tilt the Wii remote in different directions in order to control his movement. Tilting it backwards will slow Sonic down, tilting left and right will cause Sonic to move to the sides. This means that the games difficulty comes from your reactions and how you deal with the oncoming hazards that will greet you throughout each level. Are you getting the feeling that this is a proper Sonic game yet?

While you may be worrying at this point that the game all seems a bit shallow, there is plenty on offer to keep the gameplay fresh and interesting such as the abilities Sonic can use. For example, when in midair, pushing the remote forwards will see the return of Sonics homing attack. This has to be timed correctly in terms of where the enemy is positioned and how high Sonic is, meaning you will not just be randomly swinging your Wii remote around to try and kill enemies.

You will also be able to grind and perform tricks while in midair allowing for you to finish levels in style. Also what is worth mentioning is that Sonic will be able to gain higher altitude if you move the Wii remote in a "pumping" motion.

Aside from that Sonic will have 100 new abilities to learn throughout the game including a bullet time mode and extra speed bursts. You will be able to pick three of these new abilities at the start of each mission – creating for a somewhat strategic element as you will need to decide what special abilities are appropriate to the level.

Couple these strategic elements with the fact there are 100 missions in total to tackle in Sonic And The Secret Rings and what initally seemed like quite a simplistic game has plenty of added replay value.

Aside from single player there is a multiplayer party mode (similar to that of Super Monkey Ball) which has over 40 minigames to offer. Some of these minigames need to be unlocked by playing the single player mode but there will be plenty available from the first time you boot up the game including go-karting and parachuting. These minigames are very pick up and play but hopefully won’t flop in the controls department as so many of Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz’s minigames did.

Graphically Sonic And The Secret Rings is looking highly intense. The frantic action is coped with well on the Wii hardware and as of yet there is no evidence of any slowdown or glitching. While this is the case, it’s worth mentioning the game does not pack the graphical prowess of the 360 and PS3 counterparts, however this is irrelevant when you consider that this game is more focused on delivering the sheer experience of speed as opposed to the slower gameplay seen in the rival console versions.

In terms of audio, the game also has the usual Sonic 80’s cheese rock that you will either love or hate. Each soundtrack has been given an Arabian twist fitting in with the Arabian Nights theme of the game and providing quite an immersive soundtrack.

The game drops in Europe on March 2nd so you can expect a full review then – but from these impressions expect a corker.