Looking for a fun, interactive experience with a TV show? Your odds are better crossing writers' picket lines. Most TV-inspired games try to convert lame properties like CSI into something worth playing—but do gamers really want to spend $30 to collect virtual semen? What makes the CSI game terrible is the fact that, like most licensed games, it does little more than slap a few show elements (characters, voices) onto gameplay that is boring, boring, boring. When season-length DVD sets are cheaper, why bother with the cash-ins? Still, if you're desperate to synergize your TV and gaming addictions, here's the best of the rotten crop.

The Simpsons Game (dev. EA, for Xbox 360, PS2, Wii): Simpsons games are notorious for being weak, but the latest is actually decent, complete with series writers and animators chipping in. Funny? Very, as long as you love video-game jokes. Trouble is, the funny comes mostly from cartoon video clips. In the actual game, characters repeat quotes like an annoying catch-phrase keychain, and the action is generic 3-D platforming with only a little satire mixed in. Solution? Rent the game, unlock the videos with a code, then return it. Mmm... cheaty.

The Office (dev. MumboJumbo, for PC): My ideas for this game were better—Dwight as a virtual pet, or a war sim between the U.S. and British casts. But nah, it's just a rehash of the puzzle game Diner Dash with The Office's cast slapped on it, as you race against coworkers to fill cubicle requests. It's more fun than it sounds, but the game's no good for cube slaves—too fast-paced to steal your at-work alt-tabs from Minesweeper or porn. Worse, there's no voice acting or original show material. At one point, Pam actually says, "I have a hankering for some prankering." This was made before the writers' strike.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am (dev. Midway, for PS2): And then there's this, uh, golf/combat/go-cart game. Though I could go into the pros (hilarious, original Aqua Teen material) and the cons (gameplay kinda sucks ass), this review is best summed up by a verbal exchange between Mooninites in level two: "I'm toasted." "Me too." It's the closest we may ever get to a 3-D Funyuns simulator.