Nintendo's latest DS game, Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol is built around a simple concept: take a slab of bare land and make it into a beautiful park. In this regard, it definitely feels like a simulation game. However, unlike your typical sim, there is an interesting story and a somewhat adventure game feel that makes this unique. The question is whether the two genres play well together.

Players assume the role of the latest invention from Citrusoft Robotics, the blooming Chibi-Robo. With boom box and squirt gun in tow, it is his job to beatify the drab property surrounding his Chibi-House. Play music to make flowers dance and shake off seeds, water them to maturity and watch a patch of dirt come to life. Growing more flowers (of which there are several types) gives Chibi-Robo more happy points and watts, which you use on everything from recharging his battery to purchasing upgrades or new equipment to place around the park.

This is not always a simple task, considering there are evil, unenvironmentally conscious villains bent on stopping Chibi-Robo, namely in the form of the smoglings, led by the dastardly Sergeant Smogglor. Along with many other spirited characters and living toys that Chibi encounters in the neighboring town, the stage is set for battle.

Park Patrol oozes juvenile charm. Its rampant cute-factor and the trademark Nintendo gibberish-for-speech could potentially become annoying very quickly. New tools and equipment work to keep the game fresh, as do the variety of minigame-esque uses of the stylus, but ultimately, the fun factor boils down to how much of a taste for feng shui the player has, in addition to a toleration for cuteness.

The game does look nice, given its 3-D visuals, though character models tend to look better close up than far away. A helpful map system keeps track of where things are. It's not pushing the DS to its limits by any stretch, but as a game espousing good landscape architecture should, it's aesthetically pleasing. The music is simple and lighthearted, appropriate to the setting, and for what its worth it does add to the experience, even if it doesn't jump out and grab the player.

Chibi-Robo will shine for those looking for a unique mixture of genres. For those who want to spice up their DS library with something different, Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol just might fit the bill.

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