Yes, it is D-Day, but this time it is creepy critters that are storming your desktop's beaches. And you know they're coming. So what do you do? Build towers of course. Towers upon towers upon towers until not one critter can make it to their destination across your desktop. This is the concept of THQs Desktop Tower Defense, and though it is simple, it is strangely addictive. While it can be a simple pick-up-and-play game, you will most certainly need a high level of strategy if you expect to make it through the more difficult levels.

There are a surprising number of play modes and options in Desktop Tower Defense, including Play mode, Challenge mode, and Fun mode. Play mode is the basic game mode where you'll be able to select either a large or small desktop and a level of difficulty ranging from easy to hard before facing up to 60 waves of creeps. Challenge mode includes some interesting options that place limits on the gameplay. Some challenges limit you to certain towers, while others limit the money you can spend on new towers. Others are more concerned with the speed in which you can defeat the waves of creeps. And trust me, they deliver on the name - they are certainly challenging. Fun mode throws a bit of a twist on the gameplay, as you can set different kinds of creeps and obstacles.

In addition to these gameplay modes, Desktop Tower Defense also has a Customize mode. In this section, you have the option to create custom sprites for the creeps and towers. I thought this was a really cool addition to the game. Watching your custom pixel art sprites crawl across the screen, trying desperately to survive the tower onslaught adds a whole new level of enjoyment to the game. Let's say, for example, that you dislike broccoli. Well, make a broccoli creep, then watch as your towers obliterate hordes of broccoli. Excellent.

For those of you who have never played a "tower defense" type game, I'll give you a quick briefing on the gameplay. You start with a limited amount of money with which to build an initial handful of towers. Desktop Tower Defense offers up to nine towers to choose from, each with different abilities and strengths. After your initial towers are built, you can allow the waves of creeps to begin entering. Every 30 seconds or so, a new wave of creeps will enter the desktop, and try to cross the screen. As creeps are eliminated by your towers you earn more money with which to place new towers or upgrade your existing towers. As more difficult creeps begin entering the desktop, more towers, and more strategy are required in order to defeat them. Luckily, the game provides a Help section that even offers some strategic advice to help novices along the path to creep extermination.

The number of different towers and creeps can be a bit overwhelming if you want to jump right into action with the game. Desktop Tower Defense is essentially a real-time strategy game, so you don't have much time to stop, think, and figure things out. You really need to be on your toes, conserving resources, and building towers where necessary at all times if you're to have a chance of winning. After a few rounds of getting annihilated, I began to understand the difference between the tower types, and was able to make decisions more quickly. And once I learned which towers could handle which creeps most successfully, my defense skills improved even more. The game makes a valiant attempt at helping you learn these distinctions in-game, with details about all the towers listed as you're buying them. But to be successful, you really have to know the differences without a second thought.

I was pleasantly surprised by THQ's Desktop Tower Defense. It was my first venture into the "tower defense" genre, and it was a lot of fun. It is easy to become very tied to your tower system, and there is a lot of satisfaction when it works well. It can be a fun game, or a strategic, thought-provoking game, depending on how far you want to take it. And that is a great compliment - I really think people of all different skill levels will be able to appreciate and enjoy Desktop Tower Defense.