Colorful Kirby

Nintendo's Kirby is just an unthreatening pink sphere with feet, arms, eyes and a mouth. Yet, he's so flexible that his creators can endow him with any skills they like. In the 22 years since he debuted, the Kirby franchise has become a sort of lab where Nintendo and HAL can experiment with some of their wackier ideas. "Kirby and the Rainbow Curse" ($39.99) applies one of their weirder concepts to the Wii U. You don't control Kirby directly; he rolls along pretty much under his own momentum. Meanwhile, you use the GamePad and its stylus to draw rainbow-colored ropes through the game's perilous levels. The mission is to guide Kirby through the landscape so that he avoids obstacles and collects stars, food and other prizes. "Rainbow Curse" looks gorgeous. It's easy for younger players to cruise through, but challenging enough for experts.

Lou Kesten, Associated Press