Game: "Kirby Canvas Curse"

Console: Nintendo DS

Developer/publisher: Hal Laboratory/Nintendo

Genre: Action/adventure

Number of players: 1

ESRB: E, for everyone

The premise: A witch has turned portions of Dreamland into paintings. Kirby gives chase and is turned into a ball. Kirby touches a magic paintbrush, causing the brush to appear in the player's hand to help him on his way.

Game play: All the game action is done on the touch screen using the stylus. Because Kirby has been transformed into a ball, you use the stylus to control his direction. If an enemy is in the way, you can tap it to stun it; then you can let Kirby just roll into the enemy or tap Kirby to dash through the enemy.

You use the stylus to form rainbow lines to lead Kirby to new levels or to form shields to protect him from enemy fire. Kirby will roll in the direction the line is drawn, so remember this and don't lead him into anything nasty.

The good/bad: This is a departure from previous Kirby games in two ways. First, you are no longer following a predetermined path, but are making your own using the stylus. This can be good or bad, depending on how much exploring of the area you want to do. The game has coins hidden in each level to reward you if you are willing to look. Second, you are using a stylus instead of a control pad. This is very new and takes a lot of getting used to; you don't have to be very artistic, but it does take some creative thinking. The rainbow lines act as a bridge, shield or ramp, depending on what is needed. The trick is to know what is needed, and it can be very irritating when you don't know. Kirby keeps moving, so you must stay two steps ahead and make sure you don't run out of ink. Also, the map is too simplistic, rendering it practically useless. Kirby is a blinking pink dot and very little of the surrounding area of the map is shown, offering little help in navigating through the level. It does show the exit doors and coins, but you must be close to them before they appear on the map.

Tips: Take advantage of the training mode; it will greatly reduce the irritation factor if you are unfamiliar with the stylus. At the end of each level, you have the option of fighting one of three bosses. Fight the same boss three times to activate one of the mini games.

My take: Using the stylus for everything gets pretty nerve-wracking. I loved the early Kirby games, which is why I wanted to try this one. I didn't like it, but gamers who enjoy more puzzle-oriented games may get more out it. It's an odd game worth trying at least once. The DS is still relatively new and the touch-pad promises many new game innovations. I didn't like this one, but am waiting to try the next.

Jeffrey Davis of Honolulu is a video game enthusiast.