Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor for the Nintendo DS is like Guitar Hero for your kid brother. You are the conductor, leading an invisible orchestra through famous classical pieces.

Three taps of the stylus start the orchestra. Numbered shapes appear, some connected by dotted lines. Each shape has a "timer ring." It starts out wide, then shrinks down flush with the shape. When the timer ring lines up with its shape, tap it with the stylus, then follow the dotted line to the next number in the sequence. While there are some numbers that pop up alone, don't lift your stylus if there is a dotted line - it breaks the rhythm. If you hit the notes at the proper time, the music continues along beautifully. If not, then you get sour notes. Each musical piece also include a "tap note" section. A target bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Notes fall from the top and must be tapped when they fall in line on the target bar.

The game has three difficulty settings: apprentice, conductor, and maestro. A fourth category, looney, becomes available when you beat the other levels. Besides unlocking new songs, beating levels unlocks extras: bios for different Looney Tune characters, and a jukebox which allows you to listen to songs you have already unlocked. A replay option also allows you to watch your most recent performance.

Game play is simple but definitely requires rhythm. It is definitely more kid-friendly than the Guitar Hero games. Not that those were inappropriate, but Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor replaces the loud rock music with classical pieces; pierced and mohawked wanna-be rockers are replaced with iconic cartoon characters.

I would love some different options for gameplay such as different modes and mini-games. However, the lack of options has always been my complaint about Guitar Hero. The extras are seriously lackluster, and the animation is almost inexplicable. While playing the game, the upper screen features animated cartoons based on real Looney Tunes episodes. These cartoons are rendered in horribly blocky 3D. Not only are cartoons terrible, they are very distracting. This is definitely a game that won't get caught in the generational crossfire.

Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB for Comic Mischief and Mild Cartoon Violence