Released in the first batch of new downloadable games available through WiiWare, Defend Your Castle is an interesting test case for Nintendo's new venture. It was originally released (and is still available) as a free, online flash game, and the WiiWare version is largely the same game despite a total aesthetic overhaul. The gameplay consists almost entirely of grabbing stick figures and flinging them to their doom to stop their mad rush toward your castle. The sound quickly becomes grating, and the constant wrist-flicking is tiresome, but the wacky presentation and frenetic multiplayer action can provide a good bit of fun in small doses. And Defend Your Castle is just that: a small dose of short-lived fun for the low price of 500 Wii points ($5). As test cases go, this one is a moderate success.
