In an industry where innovation often takes a back seat to sequels, movie tie-ins and "me too" clones, it's refreshing when a video game breaks convention to deliver a fresh interactive experience. Such is the case with Capcom's Okami, a Japanese-made adventure originally released on the PlayStation 2, and now available -- and perfectly suited -- for the Wii. Players take on the role of a sun goddess named Amaterasu, in the form of a wolf, who must help restore world peace and beauty by defeating the eight-headed dragon, Orochi. While traveling to dozens of regions to regain her "Celestial Brush" powers, Amaterasu quickly learns how to paint onto the world itself, and the effect is immediate: Paint a bridge to traverse rapid rivers; draw a horizontal line through rocks and trees and the obstacles are cut in half; slash an enemy with a paint stroke through its body; or add a sun to the sky with a painted circle. These moves are handled intuitively with the motion-sensing and wireless Wii remote.

Okami, which means "wolf" in Japanese, also lets you master combat moves during fighting sequences. This includes head butting, jumping, tackling and springing off adjacent walls. Weapons will be acquired over time, divided into three categories: reflectors (magical mirrors), Rosaries (special beads) and glaives (mythical swords). You will eventually learn new skills from the grand master at the dojo, such as a "Holy Eagle" (jump and kick at the same time), "Fleetfoot" (quickly sidestep to avoid a monster attack) and "Digging Champ" (dig through rocky surfaces).

This painting mechanic is much more than a gimmick as it lets players tackle puzzles and fighting in a new and innovative way -- and helps separate this action-adventure hybrid from the hundreds of others in the market. That, and the game's interesting story, memorable characters and clever visual style all help to make Okami a fresh and fun addition to your Wii library.