Super Smash Bros. Brawl has it all

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is this total package: an All-Star lineup of characters in an amazingly well-crafted game, even if it's odd at first to watch the dainty Princess Peach haul off and slug Pikachu.

Besides the great action and story, SSBB offers a chance to sample some of the games the characters come from by including short trial versions of the classic Nintendo titles. There's also a mode to create custom sites in which to do battle.

Nothing is missing.

Grade: A (an instant classic).

Details: Nintendo Wii platform; $49.99; rated Teen (cartoon violence, crude humor).

Quiz masters

Where's Wink Martindale when we need him?

Simply by connecting four controllers to your console (each with glowing red buzzers on top), you can instantly transform your living room into a game show set. Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz is a great mix of movie trivia, from the classic to the current to the obscure. After selecting a video avatar from a catalog of quirky and fun choices, gamers compete head to head to see who knows the most; the game boasts more than 5,000 questions. Connect a second set of Buzz controllers and up to eight people can play at once.

Perfect for parties in need of an activity, the only thing missing to complete the game show vibe is a visit from the late Charles Nelson Reilly.

And for the younger set, Buzz! Junior Robo Jam offers a fun collection of 24 mini-games that, using the same controllers, test reflexes, such as "whack a mole." The robot characters of Robo Jam are cute, and most of the games aren't very tough.

Grade: B (better than most casual games, Wii titles excluded).

Details: PlayStation 2 platform; each game is $39.99 with a set of controllers, $29.99 for the game alone; Hollywood Quiz rated Teen (crude humor, drug reference, mild language, mild violence, suggestive themes), Robo Jam rated Everyone (comic mischief and mild cartoon violence).