On the surface, Operation: Hulk Edition (Milton Bradley Games, approximate retail price $19.99, Ages 6 and up) is very like its classic Operation counterpart. In both editions, game play involves diagnosing a patient’s illness by drawing a “Doctor” card, then using the supplied tweezers to remove the stated offending plastic malady from the patient’s body, laid out on a plastic operating table. If your tweezers touch the metal sides of the operating cavity, the patient complains loudly and you lose your turn, unless you were dealt the “Specialist” card for said malady in the beginning of the game. Whichever player holds the “Specialist” card for that malady has the opportunity to take on the job and try their hand at removing the piece. A successful operation earns that surgeon the amount of cash specified on the appropriate card.

The Hulk Edition differs from the original in that, obviously, the patient is the Hulk, that beloved seething torrent of uncontrollable rage found in Marvel comic books and most recently in the 2008 movie “The Incredible Hulk.” Some of the Hulk’s health problems stem from such punny gems as “Puny Banner,” (a flag on a stick that has somehow become wedged in his hand), a somewhat unfortunately placed cloud of “Toxic Gas” (ostensibly coming from his inner calf, but you have to do a double take to realize that), and “Gamma Hams” (which looks like a dinner ham, and is surprisingly challenging to remove from his thigh).

When a clumsy surgeon misses his mark, Hulk gets angry. His eyes glow a menacing green, and he yells “Aaaarrrrggghhhhh,” “Hulk,” “Rrrrrrrrrruuhhh,” “Hulk smash,” “Roaaaarrrr,” or “Oooooooohhhh.” On paper, those look like pretty good phrases for an angry Hulk to say, unfortunately, the voice that they chose for the sound chip makes him sound less like an explosive fountain of unrestrained fury, and more like a whiny, put upon, second cousin of Archie Bunker. For instance, rather than roaring, the voice actually says the word “roaaarrrrrrr” with all the emotive force of a middle-aged bachelor uncle reading to a toddler. I’m not sure if the designers were worried about scaring the 6-year-olds playing this game, but those young Hulk fans who are eager to hear his voice boom “Hulk SMASH!” will surely be disappointed by the peals of laughter from those they play with. Sorry, Hulk; in this case, we are laughing at you.

One surprising change from the classic game is that the amount of money you can earn from the “Specialist” cards is greater than the amount from the “Doctor” cards. I always wondered why “specialists” got less in the classic game than the “doctors.” If they’re more specialized, shouldn’t they be better at their jobs and earn more? After playing this version, I now know the answer; if you hold a “Specialist” card for a malady, you have no incentive to try to get it right on the first try. Even the 6-year-old very quickly learned to “accidentally” touch the side the first time, then pull out his “Specialist” card to make the big bucks.

One nice thing about this board that differs from my old, beat up classic Operation game is a nifty slide-out drawer underneath the operating table to keep all the little pieces from flying around the inside of the box when it’s manhandled a bit too roughly. You’re still on your own for keeping the cards tidy, though. I suggest a rubber band.

On the whole, if you’re looking for an Operation game featuring a very-young-kid-friendly version of the Hulk, this may be the game for you. If you’re a true Hulk fan, you might want to pass on this one; this is not the mean, green, smashing machine you’re looking for. As for me, give me the classics every time.