Play 'The Tuttles' to help a charity

— -- What happens when you connect doing good deeds with playing a good video game? You get The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures, a video game created by Legacy Interactive as a fundraiser for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.

When you buy the game, at least half of the proceeds go to the Starlight charity. If you buy the boxed version, 50% of the cost goes to the charity, while with the downloadable version, the charitable amount rises to 75%.

The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures takes you on a 40-level romp with the vacationing Tuttles family as they make their way to visit the Alamo.

Barry, the dad, has customized their van so that it can fly and has an onboard talking computer (with an attitude, of course). Barbara, the mom, has a bottomless handbag that stores everything they need, including tents. Daughter Jess is a brilliant, cellphone-addicted teen who "would rather die than be seen out in public with her parents," while son Zach loves life and video games and views getting lost as a chance for a new adventure. This extraordinary family flies a minivan, and the adventure takes them through the air to a desert, ocean, jungle, tropical island and the mountains. As you work through the levels of side-scrolling craziness, you alternate playing as each of the four members of the family.

The Tuttles is an old-fashioned side-scrolling game, reminiscent of classic Mario games from Nintendo, where you collect items, jump from platform to platform to navigate a level and stun baddies by leaping on their heads. For example, while in the desert looking for more gas for the van, you must avoid scorpions, cobras and prickly cacti. As the desert levels get harder, you also encounter walking mummies and wriggling green vipers.

While the game play isn't anything new, the platform puzzle play is solid. It is fun for the whole family, because it can be played on three levels of difficulty. Kids playing on the easiest level will never get frustrated because there is always a red arrow pointing where to go next. Since there are 40 levels, this is a game that can be played in short bursts — as a reward for finishing a homework assignment or as a break from the stresses of everyday work.