Horrid Henry is the video game version of the famous United Kingdom book and cartoon series named after the main character, little Henry. Basically, this kid is the British equivalent of Dennis the Menace, though he seems to be willing to play pranks on anyone, not just his crotchety old neighbor.

The game isn't complete yet but I was able to play through one of the four levels they had available for the DS. I made my way through the side-scrolling world (think old school Mario), trying to find all the hidden chili peppers so I could put them in my dad's coffee. It really did feel like I was playing a different version of Super Mario, what with having to avoid the yo-yoing spiders and jumping from shelf to shelf.

The best part of this game, from my non-prank-loving perspective, was Henry's interaction with his older sister. If I didn't move past her quickly enough in the hallway, she would sneak up behind me and pull down my pants! Poor Henry (I'm sure he deserved it) would get very embarrassed and try to cover himself up. The only good thing from this was that I became invincible for a few seconds while my "modesty meter" charged back up.

In terms of graphics, at least at this point in development, this game is nothing special. As a matter of fact, I was rather surprised with how pixilated and two-dimensional it looked. The sideview perspective and limited character movement bothered me at first because it seemed so ten years ago, but the game is aimed at young kids ten and under, so the simplicity really was a valid design choice.

Horrid Henry is set for release in Europe later this year, when it will launch alongside the 2nd book and the 2nd season of the cartoon. In the States, Nintendo is projecting an early 2010 release date.