Kamikazeeee!

"Worms" is back, and once again it's bringing the same cute, yet pernicious adrenaline rush that only tiny 2-D worms with shotguns and bazookas can.

"Worms: Open Warfare 2" is the second installment on the DS, and one of many handheld versions since the Game Boy generation. It is also, hands down, the best portable version "Worms" has yet seen, completely scrapping and rebuilding itself to address all of the many pitfalls of its prior DS version.

The "Worms" series, for the unaware, is a turn-based strategy game in which players take turns ordering their squad to ravage the enemy team with a slew of utterly absurd weapons such as sheep, priceless Ming vases and homing pigeons.
It's because of these items that "Open Warfare 2" succeeds — it delivers the familiar and expected standards of entertainment and wacky fun that the series has established itself upon, and it expands the scope of the series by incorporating many of the DS's functions for single-player missions.

As with the rest of the series, multiplayer action is the real lure, and "Open Warfare 2" delivers again with completely revamped Wi-Fi online access, as well as the options of single-cartridge download play or 4-play hot-seat mode. It emits the same cruel excitement familiar to the series with crisp, bright graphics contrasted with the usual eerie beats, and it offers nearly as many customization options as you'd find on a PC version.

As far as complaints go, there aren't many — due to the screen size you can't always see where the action is, and load times, albeit very short, are uncommon for DS games. Yet, the immense replay value alone of "Open Warfare 2" makes it worth the buy.

Bottom line: This is the handheld "Worms" game we've been waiting for.

4 ?