Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you can’t control everything and you’ve set your mind on your next project, the hours start to whittle away like nobody’s business: Whether you’re growing super-size flowers and carrots, redesigning the pond, or breeding a small colony of Sparrowmints,there’s always something new to be done, and it’s always brilliant fun. Viva Pinata is some seriously refined gaming crack, and it’s easy to find yourself shunning the real world as you shut the curtains and pour days of time into the deliciously crafted world. And my, is it delicious; even the plants in the game are so majestically green and fruitful that after a week of playing the game you’ll emerge from your house a bleary eyed wreck to be confronted with all the glory of the real natural world, and with it the realisation that mother nature’s offerings to the UK are generally speaking, rubbish.

So if for any reason you’ve avoided checking it out already then wash your mind out with soap good sir, and pick yourself up a copy as soon as possible. Despite the kiddy visuals it’s most definately before all else a game very much made for gamers: Full of things to do, collect, and grow, it’s an absolute dream of a game that keeps on giving, not only being Rare’s best game in years, but easily also one of the best games available on the 360. Industriously plowing towards your next personal objective, it’s in your brief moments of rest that Viva Pinata catches you off guard. As your tired eyes scan the garden towards the end of a late night session, you’ll find yourself stopping for a moment to simply listen to the creatures sleep soundly, the scene  serenaded by the minamilistic melancholic tunes that night brings. Keep your eyebrows fixed at an an angle of disbelief if you must, but at times it’s hard not to be struck by how beautiful it all is. The addictive qualities are what keep you playing until the wee hours in the morning, but it’s this magic that keeps you coming back for more.

I know what you’re thinking, it all sounds softer than a pillowcase pumped full of Mr. Whippy, doesn’t it? Well maybe it is, I don’t know. But what I do know is that cool and cuddly creatures aside, Viva Pinata is absolutely worth your time and money. Gripping, addictive, creative, and exciting, it’s almost the perfect poster child for the fact that appearances can be deceptive. If you’re the kind of gamer who likes to think of themselves as having eclectic tastes, you’ve no excuse. And frankly even those who refuse to give ’kiddy’ games a second glance need to get their priorities right, as it’s certainly a lot less homoerotic than Gears of War. Play it in secret if you have to, by all means. But do play it.