Publisher: Nintendo

Reviewer’s rating: A

ESRB rating: Everyone

Game type: Side-scrolling platform

Kind of like: “Marble Madness,” but from a side view.

Best feature: You feel like you have total control, but at the same time the game is a challenge.

Worst feature: We could do without the boss fight where you connect the dots.

The bottom line: The Nintendo DS is really coming into its own with some good games that rely heavily on the unit’s touch screen.

“Kirby: Canvas Curse” is tremendous — it’s another of those games that couldn’t be played properly with any other controller.

In this game, the pink, round creature known as Kirby is relentlessly rolling forward from a side view. You draw paths on the screen with the stylus, and Kirby rolls along them. He’ll stick to your line and go up if you draw a line upward, and he’ll turn around if you make a wall. Lines vanish quickly after being drawn, however, so you have to pay constant attention and draw the lines right where Kirby is.

The object is to maneuver Kirby through deadly areas filled with traps and enemies and get Kirby to an exit door. Kirby normally gets hurt if he touches an enemy, but you can stun an enemy first by touching it, and then Kirby will destroy the enemy instead of being hurt. If the enemy has a power, Kirby will take that power, and you can activate it by touching Kirby with the stylus.

All of this tapping and drawing lines starts happening pretty fast, which makes for a crazy and fun game.