Super Princess Peach

Take your traditional Super Mario Bros. game, toss Mario and Luigi in a cage, turn Princess Peach loose (armed with umbrella and emotional tantrum array), and you have Super Princess Peach.

The game begins with Ms. Peach taking on the rescue mission. Apparently, Bowser has kidnapped the famous brothers via the Vibe Specter, and has now retreated to his hideaway on Vibe Island. The princess, along with a sentient umbrella named Perry, must work her way through various levels and boss battles to rescue Nintendo's famous mascots.

You'll quickly learn Princess Peach is very resourceful. She's picked up a number of moves from chum Mario, including enemy stomping, block busting, hillside sliding and other familiar techniques. In addition, Perry the umbrella is a force to be reckoned with, eventually allowing Peach the ability to hover in the air for short periods of time, as well as traverse rivers, stun enemies with a ground pound, and even blast baddies with energy blasts. (I mention "eventually", as most of these abilities must be purchased from the game's shop area.)

But the real game play innovation in Super Princess Peach - her royalty's ability to change her emotional "vibe" at the drop of a hat. Or in this case, a thumb press of the touch screen. Linked to four heart shaped icons, the player can instantly change Peach's mood (Joy, Rage, Gloom and Calm) by pressing the appropriate heart, which provides the Princess with a special ability or two. All of these abilities are tied to your Vibe Meter, which is slowly depleted when a vibe has been activated.

It works well enough, although you'll sometimes find your thumbs fumbling during a hectic boss encounter. And yes, the entire premise of the Princess having constant mood swings is arguably condescending, but did my teenage daughter and wife seem to mind? Not a bit. In fact, my daughter - once she began playing - claimed the family's DS as her own for about a week, as she was especially enthralled with the game. Not because of the princess theme and saccharine heavy presentation, but because - at it's heart - Super Princess Peach is a fun, old-school action platformer, reminiscent of earlier Super Mario games.

But in many ways, Super Princess Peach tries to set itself apart. Besides the new moves, the entire experience emphasizes item collecting - you won't be able to complete the game without finding all of the missing Toad characters, for example. This doesn't present too much of a problem, as items are rarely hard to find. And although the game doesn't make much use of the touch screen and stylus, the game play rarely grows boring or dull, as you're constantly forced to make use of your robust move set and abilities to make your way through the various game levels. You'll also find there's much more to the game after the end credits, adding to the game's value. As is the norm with Nintendo developed games, stylus-based mini-games have been thrown in for good measure.

Unless you and the kids simply dislike Super Mario style games, give Super Princess Peach a try. You'll find an enjoyable game filled with fun challenges.

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For yourself, the game play will probably wax nostalgic. For the kids, it'll prove a great introduction to Super Mario-style gaming, as the entire experience leans a little to the easy side. It's a win-win!