The "Super Mario Bros." games are classic examples of great platforming games, but most new games no longer use that style.

"Wario Land: Shake It!" is an homage to old-school, side-scrolling games, and it works well.

Instead of Mario, the star of the game is the dastardly Wario, who is more than willing to help others if it means he gets some gold. So when he receives a globe and telescope that can transport him to another dimension, he agrees to help free captive residents from the Shake King. If he can defeat the five bosses of the world and the Shake King, he will win the Bottomless Coin Sack, which spews forth neverending gold.

"Wario Land" is set up like older games, with a map, multiple stages per continent and a boss battle at the end of each.

The game is played by holding the Wii remote sideways. The directional buttons make Wario move, and the '2' button makes him jump. In addition, he has other talents, mostly that of the shake. Shaking the remote makes Wario do a damaging ground attack. If he's holding a gold bag, he can shake the coins out of it. If he shakes an enemy, he gets garlic, which restores his health.

There are also vehicles, which are controlled by tilting the Wii remote. This doesn't work as well as the basic controls, and I often wished I could just use the directional pad to control them.

The stages are well designed, and done in a colorful, hand-drawn style, though it's strangely not in widescreen.

The main game is short, but "Wario Land" can be replayed. Each stage has a set of goals to meet, which most players won't get on the first run through, and hidden treasure chests to find.

The Wii seems to work best when the gameplay is simple, and "Wario Land" is evidence of that. Fans of the original Nintendo will appreciate this throwback to the era, and newcomers will find "Wario Land" easy to jump into and understand.

With truly good Wii games a bit rare right now, buying "Wario Land" is a no-brainer.

Wario Land: Shake It!

By: Nintendo, for Wii

Rated: Everyone

Cost: $49.99

Score: 8/10