PID

7 cert, Might and Delight, Xbox Live (also PS Network, PC) ***

Pid is an emotional rollercoaster, alternately captivating, charming and exasperating. The premise is cute and eccentric: Kurt falls asleep on his school bus and wakes up in a strange place. In this case, the bus has been zapped to another planet. So the boy begins his odyssey home, on foot.

This side-scrolling, understated game aspires to greatness, and almost gets it right. Pid moves at a gentle pace: Kurt tries to outwit and avoid scary, wind-up robots and traps, and his power ups include a beam that he can use to transport himself out of danger, or to move his enemies into jeopardy.

The problems arise when the game becomes more challenging: Save points mercilessly zap you back too far, and retreading old ground and waiting for groaning, stately elevators to arrive for the umpteenth time can be maddening. Retro fans and masochists will still like this game, but if only it were a little bit more reasonable.