I confess to not having played the original Drawn to Life back when it came out, but I've a pal who's a SpongeBob Squarepants fan, so when I was at THQ's spring preview event in New York City, I had to take a peek.

A rep demoed the DS title for me, and explained the gameplay is similar to the original Drawn to Life - this time, obviously, with a big SpongeBob cartoon theme. It's actually based, she said, on an episode of the TV series where Spongebob accidentally scribbles himself an enemy, "DoodleBob," a drawing come to life.

Like I said, I never played Drawn to Life, but I heard at length from lots of friends and readers that the platforming was nothing to get excited about, so I asked whether they'd taken that feedback and cleaned it up this time.

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A new SpongBob game will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade the day after Christmas. SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam!, an 800 point side-scrolling mulitplayer game, will the cast of the cartoon exploring the land of Bikini Bottom looking for the lost undergarments of King Neptune.

* All the popular characters: Play as all your favorite characters from the animated series, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Eugene Krabs, Sandy Cheeks, and Sheldon Plankton. * Visit familiar environs: Search the kitchens of the Krusty Krab, visit the Flying Dutchman's ship, and explore the depths of the all-new Armoury of Atlantis for rare pairs of pants. * Wild arcade action: It's every sea creature for him or herself! Use your character's slapstick moves to knock down and slow your opponents, and gain special powers from pickups that allow you to move at super speed, hit twice as hard, or even steal pants from other players! * Single player modes: Take on the tricky Time Attack Mode where beating the clock means everything, or engage in the full Quest Mode, where you must collect 99 pairs of Neptune's underpants to win the game. * Multiplayer game modes: Play Tag Mode, and avoid being "it" at Bikini Bottom. Play with a friend offline or take it online to Xbox LIVE® Arcade with up to four players

The game will be rated E, and I'm sure my SpongeBob-addicted son's going to love it.