Close your eyes for a moment, and imagine that someone took the best parts of Pac-Man and Katamari Damacy and stuck them in a blender. The resulting game is The Munchables, and is cuckoo-crazy fun for any and all in the family.

You play the game as one of two cute as a button blobs known as "Munchables" (one boy character or one girl character). Your happy home is a never-ending smorgasbord of delights, as food is constantly disbursed by Magic Orbs at the center of your island (and at the center of other islands around the planet). When suddenly, in a twist of fate remarkably like an episode of the Powerpuff Girls, your home is invaded by EVIL VEGETABLES FROM BEYOND THE STARS! Worse, they steal the magic orbs, meaning dinnertime is on hiatus for the forseeable future. Time for a switch of food supply from magically-orb-delivered goodies to Space Pirate Veggies. It's time to show those no-good Orb-stealing no-goodniks the door. The door to your stomach, that is.

Remember that old piece of advice not to eat anything bigger than your head? That holds true here also. As you devour the baddies, your character gets bigger and bigger, gaining levels as they go. But you can't eat anything with a bigger level than you, so the game incorporates an attack feature that allows you to break a big baddie down to bite-size chunks. The more you chomp, the bigger you get, and the more baddies you can gulp down without having to beat them up first. Eventually, you reach a point where it becomes a little less like Pac-Man, and a little more like Rampage, as your Munchable pursues hapless onion-shaped baddies. You can take damage from baddie attacks, eating bombs, and environmental hazards. Once hit, there's a vulnerable period where you have to shake that Wii-mote to get back to business, and if you're hit again while vulnerable, that's game over, re-start your level, thank you very much. Taking damage reduces the number of things you've eaten, so you'll want to keep an eye on that, but the game is generally forgiving enough that it's not a problem. I should also mention the special items scattered around, like the vacuum attachment that sucks the baddies right into your mouth, or the giant weight that stuns everyone in a given radius, allowing you to munch on panicky produce easily.

The game is playable with the Wii-mote/nunchuk, with a Classic Controller, or with a Gamecube controller. There is a two-player function, but it's more like the gameplay in Super Mario Galaxy, where one person controls the cute (and ravenous) Munchables, and the other can shoot orbs, making this now a blend of Pac-Man, Katamari Damacy, and Duck Hunt. This can be a particularly fun way for parents to play with the kids. As the kids run into enemies that are difficult, the parents can chop them down to size with a well-placed shot. Beware, though. Your ammo is dependent on how many baddies have been munched up to that point, and the game does rank you on how well you "clean your plate", or in this case, the entire level. Kids probably won't mind so much, but if you're looking for a high score, or unlockable bonuses, you'll want to use that sparingly.

Did I say unlockable bonuses? Yes I did. By collecting special acorns through the levels, you can unlock special costume elements for your character. My own little guy is running around sporting an appropriately aggressive-looking mohawk, but we've also unlocked fish costumes, glasses, leaves (for your head), and other kinds of cute accessories for your fashion conscious Munchable.

Now, some parents might be a little scandalized by how the game ranks you. After eating all that roughage, your Munchable is in need of some... evacuation. You know, what goes in, must come out? But what comes out is magical orbs! All over the village elder taking you from place to place to eat baddies! So, it's all good. Kids will think it's hilarious, and most grown-ups will too.

This game gets my highest recommendation, as both my daughter AND my non-console-gaming wife are playing and enjoying this title. So, who will enjoy this game? Kids of both the salad and non-salad eating varieties. Non-video-game-playing spouses. Fans of Japanese Monster Movies. And pretty much everyone else.