I was having second thoughts as I input my Debit Card information to purchase Penny Arcade: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness (Episode 1). A game based on a webcomic? Oh my.

The first thing to note is that, unlike the name, the game itself is not very long. My best guess for the average gamer would be about 6 hours. Depends if you take the time to click on everything for every ounce of Penny Arcade humor that you can sqeeze from this game. But, as the name also states, it's an episodic series. It gets off to a good start.

The game's a RPG, but the combat somewhat follows a Paper Mario-ish style by having you perform actions to get the most out of your bigger attacks. But unlike Paper Mario, this isn't a turn-based game. Attacks take real time to charge up again; Same goes for your enemies. But the difficulty curve is gentle enough so that it shouldn't cause you to remain confused throughout the whole game. The game heals you after every fight, bad guys (even the bosses) generally don't have an end-all attack that causes you to pull a Danny and toss your controller against a wall. Heck, my roommate has a response time that's comparable to an armadillo in a pit of tar, and even he learned how to play the game like a pro.

Now the humor, like the comic, is hit-and-miss. I don't mean that one joke's funny, and the next one's not, as the term is generally used for. I mean it's hit and miss with the audience. Some people will wet their pants at Gabe's clueless self and Tycho's strange ways. Other's will wonder what's causing the first group to urinate on their new carpet.

***Parent Hint*** Remember, parents, the 'M' rating doesn't stand for Mild. 'R'-rated material abounds in this... ahem... quirky game. ***Parent Hint***

$20 is a little much for one episode. For a while Steam had it on sale for $10, which is a much better price. If you don't wish to put $20 down just because ol' David told you so, then I'll live. I believe that when the second episode comes out (hopefully in a couple of weeks) that the first episode will drop in price.

But I still stand by my suggestion. If you like the webcomic that the game's based off of, then you more than likely will love the game.