is the final game in the trilogy which began in 2006 on the PS2 and Xbox with Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. The first thing I noticed about is that the game is absolutely beautiful.

Dawn of the Dragon departs from the earlier games in the series by letting you take flight at any time. A few presses of the jump button have you take to the air, but this new ability doesn't end up having much of an impact on the overall gameplay.

Gorgeous visuals and a thrilling score create a vivid fantasy world; Convenient local co-op lets second player drop in or out at any time; Good variety of elemental powers at your disposal

Combat is uninteresting and sometimes tedious; Unfocused level design can lead to aimless wandering; When playing solo; the AI-controlled teammate can sometimes get stuck; Control of the camera is too limited; Story borrows too much inspiration from elsewhere

Ever since Spyro the Dragon first glided onto the PlayStation 10 years ago, he's been struggling to find solid footing in the platform ...

Starts off so well; Detailed and atmospheric; Mostly impressive voice acting

Descends into mindless combat; Confusing; aimless exploration; Lack of in-game hints

This game could have fared far worse, but it keeps itself sitting right on the mediocre line. Long-time Spyro fans should pick it up and enjoy it for what it is. The rest of us will find our platforming fun elsewhere.

Spyro debuts in his first Xbox 360 outing, complete with a new co-op element, and as much as I hate to say it, hopefully this is his last time on the platform. Find out what I'm talking about in the full review.

Co-op can make the game better with a friend

It can be boring; and glitchy

As kids’ games go this is a step in the right direction but too many of the old problems raise their ugly head, not that the kids will notice mind you.

The worlds have a vibrancy that recalls the original PlayStation games, special effects are suitably dazzling and the whole affair is efficiently produced whilst making the most of the host hardware.

Spyro has been around for quite some time now and since his incarnation on the PlayStation, our little dragon has come a long way. Although our colourful and fire breathing dragon has had a few ups and downs in his career, Spyro Dawn of the Dragon is the latest title of the franchise which not only...

Is this the best Spyro adventure yet? Over the years we have been on many adventures with our little purple friend Spyro, once again we are to join Spyro and his adventures, but is this the best Spyro adventure to date?

Some nice graphical moments of the game; suprisingly deep combat system including magic

highly repetitive; flying is awkward; your companion can be annoying

I was corresponding with another writer here at Gaming Nexus -- Sean Nack -- when the topic and usage of the word "frustration" in videogame reviews came up. As I'm wont to do when I know little of what I'm talking about, I turned the discussion into something of a monologue.