System: Playstation 3 (Also available for Playstation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS)

Genre: Action

Perspective: Third-Person; Split-screen

Puke Factor: Moderate. The camera is focused behind the character and frequent perspective shifts are necessary. I've had to stop playing because of motion sickness, but not every time we've played.

Premise: You are the Simpson family, funny, flat, and yellow. The Simpson's find themselves as characters in a video game. They must manipulate this new world to save themselves, and Springfield, all the while taking fun shots at the world of video games. The family works through various "episodes" that provide tasks to complete before moving onto the next.

The Good: The Simpson's are funny, and in video game form, they provide some comic relief to go along with game play. Unlike most games, this one actually provides a few real laughs. Not to say that it's like a classic episode, because it's not that funny. But it is smart in places.

While the game play has some glitches, the two player aspect is workable. The game runs behind the third-person viewpoint, centered on each character split-screen. It is generally not easy to get lost with a few shifts in perspective, and it is easy to get around the Simpson's world.

The player finds a necessity to master more than one character since different episodes require use of all four of the Simpson's family members. Homer's specialty is turning into a big fat ball and smashing things. Bart is able to turn into Bartman and drift/fly to hard to reach objects. Lisa uses her powers of Zen to move large objects. Marge feels somewhat like a fifth wheel throughout the game, but she also has the special ability to rally the townspeople to help her on missions. Some of these special abilities can be hard to control, like Homer's smashing rolls, but with the episodes tailored to the use of these abilities, each character is manageable.

The length of the game appears moderate. With my unskilled game expertise, we're well below the goal times set by the game. For the advanced gamer, this might be better as a rental. For a family with limited game play time, it's long enough to own.

The Bad: Each episode is largely focused on one character who has the skills necessary to accomplish the specific goal. This sometimes leaves the non-target character as an afterthought without a lot to do. The extra character then turns into a thug defender, fighting off the baddies while the main character is using his abilities to finish the level. Some levels are split so that both characters get equal action, but more often than not, one is a star. This can be frustrating to the supporting character, though not so much so that game enjoyment is seriously compromised.

The game cliché feature is somewhat cheesy and doesn't add much to the game. Upon completing various task, the comic store owner pops up and explains the gaming cliché. A few have been funny, and the addition of them isn't a negative, but it also doesn't add much.

Conclusion: It's a fun game. I'd recommend it.

Rating: 7/10