And Now for Something Completely Different

Most video games lack originality and flair. Familiar is safe. Witness the constant reincarnations of Mario and Sonic--not to mention the uncountable clones of Doom.

But every now and then a game pops up that makes me laugh, shake my head, scratch my chin and, most of all, have one heck of a good time. It happened with Earthworm Jim. It happened with Crash Bandicoot.

And now it has happened with Three Dirty Dwarves--a time-cruising, side-scrolling rumble in the Bronx on Sega Saturn that stars a motley crew of medieval warriors armed with modern sporting goods.

In terms of play, Dwarves is fairly derivative. The different levels all owe something to the various games that came before it. But everything else--from story to graphics to characterization--screams ahead into new and outrageous territory.

The dwarfs are actually medieval soldiers conjured up in the minds of a few kids participating in a role-playing game a la Dungeons & Dragons. Like all kids who play D&D;, this particular group was so smart and perfect that their imaginary dwarfs actually became real.

After sliding through a tear in the time-space continuum--or some such nonsense--the dwarfs land naked in the Bronx. I’ve only been to the Bronx once, but I know it’s no place to spend much time without clothes on. The dwarfs learn the same lesson and arm themselves with a variety of sporting goods.

These implements of recreation quickly become implements of destruction. Players guide the dwarfs through tough neighborhoods inhabited by all manner of unearthly beasts, dispatching them along the way with baseball bats, bowling pins and a shotgun.

All of this is pretty standard stuff for side-scrolling fighters. But the scenery of Three Dirty Dwarves is beautifully drawn and scrolls smoothly--better, in fact, than many Saturday morning cartoons. Dwarves Greg, Taconic and Corthag are hilarious to watch as they fight. At times, I got slapped down by baddies because I was giggling so hard.

Along the way, players uncover more of the story through some of the best intermission scenes of any game. The animation is smooth and actually pretty interesting to watch.

Easy to master, Three Dirty Dwarves is tough to quit.

* Ms. Pac-Man: As the flow of 16-bit games slows to a trickle, it’s nice to see a few quality carts hitting the shelves. And even though I’m not particularly keen on the recent craze toward rehashed classics, I got a big kick out of Ms. Pac-Man for Super Nintendo.

I’ve long had a soft side for Pac’s better half. I gave her plenty of my allowance, that’s for sure. This version from Williams gives players all the original levels with the option of trying out as many as 36 new ones.

Because of the vertical layout of the old Pac arcade machines, the screen scrolls up and down on standard television sets. That got a little annoying, but was easily fixed by playing a smaller course. In addition, control was a little fidgety with the SNES joypad.

Staff writer Aaron Curtiss reviews video games every Thursday. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send letters to The Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Or send e-mail to Aaron.Curtiss@latimes.com