Hundreds of orcs, kobolds, and other horrid specimens stampede toward the glowing blue rifts between worlds. Can your fledgling War Mage stop them?

Fortunately, Orcs gives you plenty of ways to halt enemy tides. Crossbow and bladestaff prove handy, but the machinery you summon onto floors, walls, and ceilings rends flesh with industrial efficiency. Pack spiked pendulums, tarred tiles, and arrow-spewing wall traps into tight spaces, and they'll churn wise-cracking chatterboxes into spaghetti sauce. As you defend each of 24 fortress layouts, you'll earn new traps, spend performance-based rewards on minor upgrades, and encounter troublesome beasts like chubby baby dragons and persistent gnoll hunters.

Level layouts often feature different branching paths and multiple monster doors, but beyond colored lighting and a handful of environmental hazards, the stone fortresses looks pretty similar. Moreover, while monster management demands cunning and forethought, the absence of co-op or any meaningful loot makes the game feel a bit unfinished.

Don’t get us wrong: Orcs Must Die! is lots of hyperactive fun. Just don't expect lavish long-term depth that'll keep you slaughtering for weeks.

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios • Developer: Robot Entertainment • ESRB: Teen • Multiplayer: None • Achievements: Difficult • Cost: 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15)

On Xbox Live Arcade

+ Pleasing mix of third-person action and tower defense; lots of traps, upgrades, and monsters.

+ Something new unlocks with each level; sharp and colorful critters; silly voiceovers.

– Fortresses blend together; no loot or co-op; a few pathfinding hiccups.

? Who do we talk to about getting a hobgoblin Avatar pet?

8.0