Have you been lost these past few weeks, not knowing how to spend those hard-earned Microsoft Points? Well, never fear. Live Ware is now a monthly column, so we have four solid weeks of games to catch up on, including the much anticipated release based on the Penny Arcade Web comic. So let's dive right in and see which new Xbox Live Arcade titles are worth investing in.

Wits & Wagers

Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION: Try It

Based on a 2005 board game, Wits & Wagers is a different type of trivia game. All of the answers are number-based, and although some of the questions are standard trivia fare ("What year was the Watergate break-in?"), most require a fair amount of guesswork (unless you just happen to know how many paper towels there are in a standard roll). Each round isn't over when you give your answer, though. The real game begins once everyone had inputted their answer. From that point, all the contestants place bets on which of the given responses is closest to the real answer without going over.

This introduces a whole new element of strategy to a standard trivia contest. Even if you guess the wrong answer, you can still win big by betting on the person who you think got the right one (or by betting that everyone overshot the correct answer). Admittedly, however, this leaves the game relying more on luck and second-guessing the other players than on actual trivia knowledge.

The amount of enjoyment you get out of the game is also largely dependent on the people with whom you play it. Up to six people can play online and up to four can play locally. As with most party games like this, it's exponentially more fun playing with people sitting in your living room as opposed to strangers online. Outwitting someone is more enjoyable when you know the person you've outwitted, no? Playing against the artificial intelligence, as you might imagine, is dreadfully dull.

Wits is a pretty enjoyable game, and with 700 questions to play through the seven-round matches, it'll be a while before you've gone through them all. Still, its unique gameplay might be off-putting to someone looking for a "normal" trivia game.

Assault Heroes 2

Developer: Sierra Online

Publisher: Sierra Online

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally appeared on: N/A


RECOMMENDATION: Buy It

The original Assault Heroes took a lot of people by surprise when it was released at the end of 2006. Even though it was from the Robotron/Geometry Wars school of top-down shooters that litter Xbox Live Arcade, it managed to set itself apart from the pack thanks to its (admittedly generic) military theme, variety of weapons, great level design, crazy boss encounters and smooth gameplay.

Not surprisingly, Assault Heroes 2 doesn't deviate much from its predecessor. The graphics have been improved, there's a new weapon at your disposal (the ice cannon), there are more vehicles to control, and the boss battles are even more impressive. As usual, you control a heavily armed 4x4 through a gauntlet of aggressive enemy forces. If your vehicle takes too much damage, it explodes, forcing you to continue the battle on foot until another 4x4 spawns. You can also exit your vehicle at any time to sneak into tight areas or to swipe certain enemy vehicles like helicopters, tanks or the occasional mech.

The independent moving and shooting controls (with the left and right analog sticks, respectively) allow you to more efficiently plow through the battlefield, taking out your foes along the way. The premise may sound a bit derivative, but Assault Heroes 2 does what it does extremely well. It's even more fun when playing the co-op game with a friend. Think of it as a classic arcade shooter with modern aesthetics.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One

Developer: Hothead Games

Publisher: Hothead Games

Price: 1,600 Microsoft Points

Originally appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION: Try It

If you're reading this review, chances are you're familiar with Penny Arcade, the long-running Web comic by Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik. The duo has been skewering videogames for nearly a decade now, so it's a bit ironic that their cartoon personas are now starring in a game of their own. Instead of being truly "based on the comic," the elaborately-titled PAA:OTRSPOD:E1 (cripes!) takes the stars of the strip and drops them into an alternate universe version of the 1920s. The game's main character is an outsider, created by you in the game's (somewhat limited) character creator.

The game itself is a blend of point-and-click adventure gaming and RPG-style battles. Unfortunately, the adventure portions of the game are a little weak, more content to force you into repetitive fetch quests with ample backtracking as opposed to the elaborate puzzle-solving that we used to see in classic LucasArts adventures. The battles fare much better, although their fast pace does take some getting used to. Trying to trigger your attack while actively dodging incoming attacks and keeping an eye on your tiny health meter can be quite confusing for the first several fights.

Humor-wise, the game does a great job of living up to its source material. Not only is the dialogue witty, but the bizarre selection of enemies you face is also amusing. Sure, the script occasionally simply uses a string of curse words in lieu of an actual punch line, but the comic is occasionally guilty of that as well. One thing that the game is severely lacking is voice acting, for as great as the jokes are, they would come off a lot better with actors reading them. The presence of a terrific (and funny) narrator makes this all the more obvious.

At 1,600 Microsoft Points ($20), this is one of the pricier investments on XBLA. The relatively short length of the game (about six hours), combined with the fact that this is just the first of four episodes, makes the price seem even heftier. Even so, you should definitely check out the demo of this fun but flawed adventure. You might just find that the clever writing is worth the price.

Buku Sudoku

Developer: Absolutist

Publisher: Microsoft

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION: Try It

Considering the popularity of the ol' pen-and-paper version of sudoku, it's awfully surprising that this is the first version of the logic puzzle to hit Xbox Live Arcade. After all, it's a decent enough casual game with a simple rule set that allows just about anyone to enjoy it. If you've somehow not tried a sudoku puzzle before, you're presented with a 9x9 grid broken up into smaller 3x3 chunks. The goal is to fill each box with the numbers 1 through 9, but you must make sure that each row, column and 3x3 unit doesn't contain a repeat number. Depending on the puzzle's difficulty level, a set number of grids will already be filled in for you. You just have to work around them to find the final solution.

Buku Sudoku maintains the simple gameplay, but adds several customization options so that you can adjust the game to your skill level and style of play. Various control schemes, difficulty settings, hint options and grid sizes (6x6, 8x8, 9x9 and 12x12) are at your disposal. There's also a multiplayer mode that lets you enjoy a co-op match as well as team battles and a duel mode, where performing well robs your opponent of helpful digits.

The asking price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10) may seem a bit steep considering the low price of books filled with sudoku puzzles, but you are getting 1,200 different puzzles here. There's also a free puzzle pack to download that adds another 1,200 puzzles to the package. If you're a sudoku addict, you'll definitely get your money's worth here. Just don't expect anything too exciting. At the end of the day, you're still just tossing the same nine numbers into the same 81 squares.

Warlords

Developer: Stainless Games

Publisher: Atari

Price: 400 Microsoft Points

Originally appeared on: Arcade

RECOMMENDATION: Fry It

Back in 1980, Warlords was awesome. Like most games back then, it was simple, but extremely addictive. Up to four people could compete at once, defending their castles against the other players' attacks. Each player controlled a shield that moved along the outer wall of their fort, which as positioned in the corner of the screen. To attack, you had to deflect a fireball that flew around the screen. Once you whittled away enough of the enemy castle, a skilled shot would send the ball inside, destroying the king. The competition continued until there was one man left standing.

This new version of Warlords is similar to other XBLA updates of Atari classics (like the recent Battlezone). In addition to the original arcade version, there's an enhanced mode that retains the same gameplay and adds a fresh coat of fancy graphics and special effects. The new mode allows you to change the camera angles from the standard overhead view, but doing this makes it much more difficult to judge your position while defending your castle. Control is also an issue due to the fact that the Xbox 360's analog stick can't compete with the arcade's paddle controller.

The biggest problem, however, is that Warlords just doesn't hold up very well these days. With no new options other than an increased difficulty mode, the gameplay is too simplistic to hold your interest for long. Even at 400 Microsoft Points, there's not enough in this package to recommend it.