Is it possible that one of the best-written games of the year, and a game with one of the most memorable and irrefutably apt soundtracks I've heard this side of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, could be a light gun game? And furthermore, a downright great light gun game that gets the point not only of light gun games, but of zombies, gratuitous profanity, buddy cop movies, grindhouse cinema, and - most importantly - comedy? Could such a thing have actually happened? Really?

Have I been grinning like an idiot at my TV for a couple of hours, standing in the middle of my living room with the couch pushed back, because I've suddenly lost all powers of discrimination? Or is one of those cheesy, rail-ride shooting galleries without even a particularly good graphics engine actually this remarkable? Is it possible that the Nintendo Wii finally has a flat-out must-have do-not-miss adult videogame to break out once the kids have gone to bed? One that might even tempt you to send them to bed earlier than normal?

So far, House of the Dead: Overkill is a joyous discovery, which is quite a surprise to me considering I don't even like light gun games that much.