Agent Cody Banks

By EWAN MCDONALD

(Herald rating: * * )

Cody Banks is 15, hates school and loves skateboarding, has a black belt in martial arts, a wardrobe full of high-tech gadgets and is on the CIA payroll.

As played by Frankie Muniz (Malcolm In The Middle), the pimpled James Bond has to foil a terrorist (Ian McShane). The terrorist is about to unleash a new breed of tiny robots invented by a misguided scientist (Martin Donovan).

The only way for Cody to get to the baddies is via the scientist's daughter, Natalie (Hilary Duff). Unfortunately Cody goes weak in the presence of opposing chromosomes, even though his CIA handler (Angie Harmon) also has them.

She also wears Liz Hurley-style catsuits, presumably to keep boys of a certain age amused during the slow bits.

Fun enough for the audience it's aimed for, and a disc that's stacked with Easter eggs, plus eight short features about Muniz getting martial arts training, clambering over moving cars, and telling the kids in the lounge how he does it.

Hilary Duff offers a quick guide to chatting up girls and makeup tips, and better than average out-takes.

* DVD, video rental March 11