Kirby’s Adventure

GAME OF THE WEEK:3 cert, HAL Laboratory/ Nintendo, Nintendo Wii ***

Ah, Kirby: the Sideshow Bob to his Krusty, the Sonny to his Cher, the Ringo to his rest- of-the-Beatles. The rose- coloured sphere may not be as iconic as Mario (or even Mega Man), but Kirby’s had plenty of innings of his own, having fronted roughly a dozen games over almost 20 years.

Kirby's Adventure (aka Kirby's Return to Dreamland)is playable, intuitive and cute as a bug's ear, but doesn't bring anything truly new to the character. An endearing side-scrolling game, it maintains Kirby's trademarks: you waddle along, breathe in your enemies and absorb their abilities.

The power-ups are wacky (in the Mario tradition) and this time they include a glowing sword, the ability to harness electricity, and spikes like a hedgehog, among other tricks. Kirby’s little hat and accessories adapt accordingly and adorably.

Like many Wii titles, it’s a co-operative multiplayer affair, and other players can dive in at any stage. The controls are simplicity itself.

Obviously the Wii doesn’t have the horsepower of other major consoles, but – as we’ve seen many times – there’s no substitute for imagination. Even though we’ve been here before, Kirby is an eccentric, distinctive character in both his controls and appearance.

Disappointingly, there isn't too much variety to the worlds he visits. Oh, and what of the plot? Well, it involves Kirby and pals in search of missing parts for a spaceship (which resembles a sail ship). It's hardly 2001: A Space Odyssey, so we're grateful that the cut scenes are mercifully short.

This is nothing new to Kirby’s legion of fans, but it’s colourful, charming stuff and newcomers (especially very young gamers) will find him captivating.