I’ve been riding the Wii wave since it launched back on November 19th. Yes, I was there, waiting in line, and yes, I’m happy I did that.

And yes, I’m a geek.

I’ve been happily in love with my Wii ever since, especially with Wii Sports (and especially with the tennis). I did purchase SpongeBob: Creature from the Krusty Krab at launch, but that held my attention for… oh… about 20 minutes. Now it’s collecting dust.  My bad video game radar would usually go off the charts for this kind of game, but the awesomeness of SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants! somehow made me ignore the fact the game was probably crap-tacular. Lessons learned.

Since then, I’ve waited with bated-breath for the release of the fifth instalment in the WarioWare  series–Smooth Moves. And, in true geek fashion, I went to buy it the day it came out.

The last three games in the WarioWare series–Touched!, Twisted!, and of course, Smooth Moves–have been the kinds of games that really showcase the potential of the consoles they were released on.

Touched! was an early release for the Nintendo DS that really engaged you with the console’s innovative touch-screen game play. And Twisted! featured a rumble-pack/motion sensor in the cart that made a total fool of anyone playing the game in public (you have to move the GameBoy Advance to play); it really showed the GBA’s potential to do so much more. I had nefarious addictions to both of these titles!

Smooth Moves, just like it predecessors, is yet another hyper-addictive collection of microgame fun! And like the previous games, you’ve got to unlock all the characters and go through the whole story to get to all of the mini-games; this time they’re laid out in a town. You can unlock most of everything in an evening; could’ve been a little longer and a little harder to get through, but still enjoyable. I’m not really in it for the story anyway.

There are more than 200 microgames crammed in there, and each one is played with a special move. The moves are cleverly named–the Discard, the Mohawk and the Big Cheese, and so on. But the best part of it is how the moves explained; a soothing Jack-Handy-like voice gives a slow and deliberate explanation on how to execute. It cracked me up every time, and then I spoke in that voice for the rest of the day, much to the annoyance of those around me.

The microgames aren’t always easy to figure out, but that’s all part of the experience. There are always a few games you have no idea what to do with, but then you have an epiphany! And wow, you’re even more engaged than you were before.

Not only is Smooth Moves addictive, but it’s also clever, weird, hilarious, creepy, smart, charming and so many more things I can’t even think of. Oh, Wario!