Why You Little … !

The Simpsons Game" is fun, cute and fairly funny. But just like "Simpsons" games have done in the past, this one tries to have it both ways. It's a satire of clichés and gaming styles found in other games; yet it simultaneously profits from using those exact same clichés and styles.

Just for starters, "The Simpsons" parodies (and "borrows") from "Frogger," "Grand Theft Auto," "Medal of Honor," "Everquest" and "Guitar Hero." One of the only fresh ideas is that sloshy, burpy Homer collects Duff beer caps.

You might think this amalgamation of homages is unoriginal, so to combat this notion, "The Simpsons Game" goes out of its way to mock the very game challenges it borrows, such as breakable crates, and standing on pressure pads to make doors open.

When you first encounter giant blades trying to kill you, the game stops for a moment so the comic book guy can appear on the screen to say, "Worst video game cliché ever."

But enough with my gripe. "Simpsons" is mostly an entertaining, if short, exploration of the "Simpsons" universe. The only real issue is camera angles can be iffy and frustrating.

You play in various double-teams as Bart, Homer, Marge and Lisa. At times, you crawl through tight spaces as baby Maggie, just like mechanical spiders did in EA Games' awesome "James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing."

EA made the "Simpsons," and designers pulled off another remarkable little job, offering a zippy, easy-to-manage "Simpsons" game with 16 episodes that makes use of two decades of "Simpsons" sets and characters.

Each episode is a quest. As Homer and Bart, you eat and punch your way through an eating contest in an Epcot-like theme park of international "countries." As Marge, you convince townspeople to join your angry Frankenstein mob, to demand the mayor ban a "Grand Theft Auto"-ish video game.

Each character has little powers that are actually more fun than they are endearing. Homer turns into a giant, destructive ball. Lisa blows a sax that stuns enemies, and her music entrances them to fight each other.

And there's some great satire of Mario, "Donkey Kong," "Street Fighter" and other classics. I laughed the most at seeing, in one background, a representation of speedy Sonic the Hedgehog looking very haggard while stuck on a kind of hamster wheel.

While playing as Bart and Lisa, they try to stop environment-destroying loggers who call them not just "tree huggers" but "Gore girls."

Funny and left-leaning, yes, but it's notable this is the overly marketed cartoon's 22nd video game. "The Simpsons" complains about capitalism, while capitalizing off of it. To wit, there are six different box covers for this game. For "Simpsons" collectors to own them all, they'd shell out $280 plus tax.

Yet, Bart snipes, "The only Simpsons game I can think of is the one where we pretend Dad's not an alcoholic."

Maybe "Simpsons" game No. 23 can send dad to rehab. I haven't seen that in other games, though, so don't count on it.

("The Simpsons Game" retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3; $50 for Wii; $40 for PS 2 and PSP; $30 for DS -- Plays fun. Looks very good. Easy to moderately challenging. Rated "T" for alcohol and tobacco reference, animated blood, cartoon violence, crude humor, language, suggestive themes. Three and one-half stars out of four.)