Drew Thompson

Combine an all-star group of Disney characters with combatants from Final Fantasy, and you get Kingdom Hearts II (Buena Vista Games/Square Enix; PS2; Game •••, Graphics/Sound •••••). It's an epic, action-heavy romp. But before you get to the good stuff, you've got to suffer through the prologue - four mind-numbing hours of dialogue-heavy cut-scenes and lame gameplay.

1. SMALL WONDERS Most multimedia speakers make audiophiles laugh, but the Spherex 5.1 Surround Sound System ($500) - based on Mirage's critically acclaimed Omnisat 6 home theater speakers (reviewed in "Thinking Outside the Box II," May 2003) - is worth a serious listen.

Can't we all just get along? Up to 12 of your home entertainment devices can do just that, thanks to Logitech's Harmony Advanced Universal Remote for Xbox 360 ($130). Simple setup has you connect the remote to your computer, enter the model numbers of your A/V gear, and answer some easy questions.

Microsoft makes it easy to morph your Xbox 360 into a high-def movie machine, thanks to its HD DVD add-on. Just plug it into your console, and you're ready to go. And at $200, it's less than half the price of the cheapest standalone HD DVD player.