It would be easy for the Fruit Ninja brand to sell out to any license involving a blade, so it's hard not to be skeptical its recent edition, tangentially related to the Shrek spinoff film, Puss in Boots. While this tie-in is mostly a reduced version of its predecessor in new clothes, it contains one new addition allowing it to rise above the soulless cash-in.

Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots contains only two modes. Desperado delivers the classic series experience in which you're tasked with slicing airborne fruit while avoiding bombs, and it lasts until you miss too many targets or trigger an explosive. But the bigger draw here is the new Bandito mode, which serves up a series of mini-challenges. They all follow the rules of the classic template, but mix up their designs to include varied objectives, such as a whack-a-mole approach or chopping fruit falling between pachinko-like pegs. The quick-fire pace and varied layouts provide a refreshing counterpoint to the haphazard main game.

Aside from Bandito mode and a handful of new sound effects and backgrounds, there's nothing really new here -- and the multiplayer and Zen modes have been shorn from this translation. Still, Bandito mode is a worthy addition to the series canon, and for the scant $0.99 asking price, it's hard to complain.

The bottom line. Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is far from the definitive version of the game, but those hungering for new criteria to eviscerate produce will be satisfied.