The Nintendo DSi Shop brims with puzzle games just substantial enough to fill a few minutes of downtime, and Penguin Patrol isn't an exception. Yet, its cute art style and simplistic gameplay put it above some of its more generic counterparts.

In Penguin Patrol you're tasked with retrieving lost penguins after a walrus with sunglasses captures and spreads them throughout 78 frigid puzzles only an Eskimo can decipher. Despite its quirky setup, Penguin Patrol is otherwise a fairly simple puzzle game. Each puzzle plays out on a grid of ice stretched across both screens. The only real objective is saving the minimum number of penguins required to progress, while noting every step you make causes the ice below you to disappear.

There is no time limit, and every move made in the game can be reversed with a press of the L button. However, the game becomes challenging when you strive to get all three of a level's stars. To do so, you must save all the penguins, as well as clear all the breakable ice in the level. Additionally, later levels introduce new penguins and ice, such as bratty penguins that require you to find their favorite toy before you can save them, and slippery ice that doesn't break, but instead causes you to slide in one direction without the ability to stop. These additions keep the game fresh, yet I found many of the later levels require far too much trial and error, and quickly go from fun to tedious.

Penguin Patrol is a decent puzzle game with cute graphics and quirky characters. If you're willing to suffer through some of the game's more tedious puzzles, it may be worth picking up to occupy time that might otherwise be spent staring off into space.