In a gaming generation where even the most critically acclaimed titles seem to gel into a sickening mass of shooters with great visuals, tight controls, blockbusting budgets and not a single brain cell; up, rise the unknowns. Like a phoenix from the ashes, they stand out to those sophisticated enough to recognise creativity, originality and truly challenging gameplay. Meet ColorZ, one of the most delectable but fiendishly difficult WiiWare titles to date. Kiss your patience goodbye.

The game has an attractive premise to the hardcore, reminiscent of old Dreamcast shooters, but is hidden under an initially cutesy and colourful façade. Players begin control of a small, solitary bubble of a red UFO in a world overrun by hostile microbes of different colours. To progress through the increasingly difficult missions, you must reach the landing pad on the far side of a kindergarten minefield; Absorb the microbes that are the same colour as your craft whilst avoiding all others at your own peril of certain, and inevitable, doom. Things start off quite comfortably with a single UFO, but the intensity thickens as two more UFOs are tossed into the mix.

In each level featuring multiple crafts, the primary UFO (red) is controlled nicely by the Wii Remote, whereas the secondary craft (green) is controlled with much less effort by the control stick on the Nunchuck. Having two UFOs to simultaneously manoeuvre through the treacherous airspace is absolutely mind-boggling, but definitely great fun. Three, however, can be regarded as 'taking the cake', in brain function terms. This is where the workout truly begins. Forget lifting weights. This is Special Forces standard conditioning for that squishy muscle between your ears. Players are also given the ability to change the colour of their UFOs at certain sections in the level via circular pads the player must fly over to transform into the corresponding colour. Another clever little feature is the ability to fuse your crafts together and create new colours and absorb new enemies.

For the most part, ColorZ is an enjoyable gaming experience as long as intense concentration and undying focus doesn't faze you. However, it does get a little too difficult for its own good. One of the biggest issues is the control scheme for the third UFO - directional buttons. While your other two crafts can nip around the worlds with satisfying agility and manoeuvrability, the third is stuck with all the animation prowess of Pac Man. If this was intended to add more of a challenge, it was a really cheap move by Exkee. This is 2009, and ColorZ isn't Street Fighter. So what is with the d-pad? Situations also arise where you'll wish to move your red and blue UFO at the same time using the Wii remote and d-pad respectively. Sure, I was ready to accept a challenge, but not suicide.

As merciless as the game appears, it actually took me a good hour to notice that each time I died, the game awarded me an extra life each time I tried the same level again. It's a pleasant feature, but I was furious when I found out. It ended up I passed all the levels because I died so many times, not because I was getting any better!

This isn't a game you'll play through in one sitting, so when the allure of the challenging single player mode encounters momentary death, it might be a good time to give the multiplayer a go. Its still hard, but the presence of either one or two friends in the game does help mellow the intense concentration found whilst playing alone. Don't concentrate too hard; your television set might disappear.

ColorZ is the epitome of graphical simplicity that relies on bright colours, rather than a zillion polygons, to entertain. Thankfully, it paid off. However, it would've been nice to see some real variation in the games different worlds other than a waterfall in the background. Additionally, the music and sound effects are delightfully simplistic with satisfying pops of microbes and electrifying shocks played to the beat of a nice retro techno track.

Regardless of its shortcomings, the key selling point of ColorZ is the challenge it offers to the gamer, which, I hope I've already stressed, is present in considerable scale. So, if you're looking for a kick-back-and-relax experience, you can forget it. Your Wii Points are better spent elsewhere. However, if you're after a mental workout that puts Dr Kawashima to Kawashame, ColorZ might just be for you.

Reviewed by Joe Mulhern for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).