First off, it should be stated, Wario: Master of Disguise was not developed in-house by Nintendo like most Wario/Mario/Chortling Fathead games -- and it shows. Created instead by an obscure developer called Suzak (Rhythmic Star, F-Zero: GP Legend) but published by Nintendo, obviously, Wario is still his old cheapshot-taking, money-grubbing self, but gameplay is neither as sharp nor engaging as other Nintendo-made Wario games, including those in the WarioWare series and the brilliant Game Boy Advance platformer, Warioland 4.

This time around, Wario gets sucked into a television show and steals a magic wand from one of the TV characters, a master thief named the Silver Zephyr. The wand gives Wario the ability to change into various disguises, and as a newly-minted alter-ego, the Purple Wind, Wario sets out to see how much treasure he can steal.

Players use the DS stylus to change Wario into his different disguises by drawing different short-hand symbols on the touch-sensitive lower half of the screen. There are eight disguises in total, and each give Wario various special abilities – many of which, again, are executed by the stylus. Arty Wario, for example, can draw blocks and warp doors and make them appear out of thin air anywhere on the screen, while Genius Wario has special goggles to scan an area for hidden secrets; Wicked Wario can fly using little demon wings.

There’s nothing wrong with the premise, but Master of Disguise has trouble pulling it off compellingly. The disguises could have been implemented just as easily using button presses, and drawing them with the stylus just feels gimmicky. It’s as if the developers were grasping for an excuse to use the stylus mechanism, grafting on some scribbly interactivity to a game that didn't otherwise call for it.

Much of the player’s time is spend wandering and doubling back through claustrophobic environments, trying to figure out where to go next. There are various treasure chests to be found throughout the game, but, once found, you need to complete a mini-game -- a sputtering reference to the zany WarioWare series -- in order to open them. Doing the same few mini-games eventually get to be such a hassle you might find yourself skipping the chests altogether -- it just isn’t worth the effort.

Wario: Master of Disguise serves as a warning that Nintendo shouldn’t farm its franchises out so hastily -- and if they do, make sure the developer is up to the task.