Super Princess Peach [DS]

"Pink" is perhaps the easiest way to sum up Super Princess Peach. This is a very pink game, and one with princesses, no less. Set against the everyday ranks of violent, male-oriented shooters, and beat-em-ups where women serve as sex appeal, a Mario-style platform game with the decor of a Victoria's Secret store looks somewhat out of place. But Princess Peach brings us a piece of Mushroom Kingdom role-reversal -- here, it's the traditional damsel in distress who has to rescue the guys.

As it turns out, this is not the most significant blow struck on behalf of video game women's lib, because Nintendo spoils it all by making Peach's mood swings her bullet-point special attack. Yup, this is surely the way to flog games to the woefully underrepresented female demographic -- include a heroine that flies into an irrational rage when you press a button.

Laugh, and the world laughs with you, they say. Or in Peach's case, when she laughs, she flies up in the air, reaching platforms hitherto unreachable. Cry, and her torrent of tears puts out fires or causes plants to grow. Get angry, and she'll catch fire, burning through wooden platforms and melting ice. While you can cruise through most levels without making too much use of these powers, to rescue all her Toad friends (and complete the game) you'll need to have your eyes peeled for opportunities for a little emotional manipulation.

Whether or not the emotional context (and, for that matter, all that pink) appeals to you, these mood swings quickly become just extra moves in a standard platform game. That shouldn't necessarily be taken as criticism -- while Peach is "just another platform game," it keeps the ideas flowing as fast as the young lady's watery emissions, and manages to be a very enjoyable one.

While most gameplay -- the running, jumping, and parasol-swinging that's Princess Peach's main course -- takes place on the face buttons, D-pad, and upper screen, mood switching requires you to tap large, prominent pads on the touch-screen below. Drop the stylus at your peril -- but this is really the only use the game makes of the DS's distinguishing feature. It's a game that, while pretty and smooth, probably isn't beyond the scope of the GBA.

Split into bite-size chunks, Peach's levels cleverly avoid falling into ruts by quickly switching out styles and gameplay conventions. In between sections, you can spend the coins you collect on upgrading Peach's attacks, or play one of a handful of mini-games. Once completed, you can replay levels in search of more coins, or to track down those all-important missing Toads.

Peach's soft-centered difficulty matches the light-hearted themes. Younger DS owners, especially female ones, will lap it right up, finding the challenge level and frequent save points a good fit. Meanwhile, older ones will enjoy the old-timey Mario fan service (if they're not too irritated with the onslaught of cuteness), but blow through the game in an evening or two. Either way, no harm done.