Every once in a while, a video game developer does everything right. That's the case with "Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure" from Capcom (www.zackandwiki.com, $40), last year's sleeper hit for the Nintendo Wii. If you were lucky enough to get a Wii for a gift recently, add this game for the kids in the household.

What makes this game special is that it combines a quirky cartoon adventure, featuring a pirate boy and his whirly-gig sidekick, with outstanding environmental puzzles that get your creative juices flowing. Plus, to keep children from getting frustrated, the game builds in a hint system and the ability to redo fatal mistakes. And, as icing on this video game cake, the game is loaded with hilarious dialogue.

The story's premise is simple: Zack, a candy-bar munching pirate boy, wants to become the greatest pirate in the world. To do that, he needs your help in finding treasure. Standing in the way are a variety of goons or monsters, mysterious objects and physical barriers. Each puzzle starts with a flyover, giving you a bird's-eye view of the landscape and the location of the treasure. Helping you is Wiki, a magical creature with a tail that can spin like a helicopter. Wiki hovers near Zack and has the magical power to turn ordinary items into useful tools.

For example, in one puzzle, you arrive at a location that looks like a water park. A treasure chest is hiding in an underwater cave. To get there, you need to slide down a water slide, knock out the guardian goon by having Wiki turn a frog into a bomb, find a worm to put on a hook of a fishing pole, catch a big, toothy fish by casting with the Wii remote, and then pull up a stopper at the bottom of the pool of water to drain it so you can reach the key to the treasure chest room. Finally, you must replace the stopper to refill the pool so you can swim into the cave housing the treasure chest.

The key to solving these puzzles is to figure out what you can manipulate in the environment and in which order you must do things. Also, the game allows others to get involved as advisers who can draw circles around areas to investigate — a fun way for a parent and child to play together.

Best for ages 8 and up.