Wednesday marked the release of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness – Episode One, based on Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik's popular Penny Arcade web comic, for PC and the Xbox 360.

Renowned for its sharp and insightful lampooning of both video games and the video game industry, the comic strip is loaded with sardonic, mature humour, and fans will be glad to know that the game retains the cartoon's signature offbeat wit. (Upon encountering an evil clown about an hour into the game, the narrator observes, “This strangely garbed mime isn't just quiet; he seems to radiate silence.”)

Parents would do well to note that the humour is, by and large, geared for older eyes and ears. Robots, for example, are prone to urinating acid as a means of attack, and a malicious vagrant wields a sign that reads “Will Deal Damage for Food.” Plus, there is plenty of text-based profanity, which, while creatively employed and amusing for adults who like their comedy a little dirty, isn't suitable for kids.

I only bring up Penny Arcade Adventures' adult nature because it is the first of the more than 130 games available for Microsoft's downloadable game service to be slapped with an M-rating. And, should any parents happen to have their consoles set to download automatically the trial versions of all new Xbox Live Arcade games, as I do, they will suddenly find this decidedly adult piece of entertainment residing on their Xbox 360, free to be discovered by their children. (Unless the console's parental controls are set to block M-rated content, in which case the game won't be accessible.)

Of course, for the many older gamers who have become devout followers of Penny Arcade over the last decade, the game's sordid humour will act as the primary lure to play. Inside jokes abound (gotta love the Fruit F***er), but there are plenty of broader gags that can be appreciated even by those who've never heard of the comic, such as a wax carnival security guard with a license to sodomize unruly patrons.

However, the paradox of Penny Arcade Adventures, is that, for a game created by a couple of guys who have made a career out of making fun of bad games, it isn't really all that much fun to play.

We wander around on short quests, looking for specific enemies to battle while tediously kicking over every trashcan and crate we stumble across in hope of finding various power-ups. Combat consists of turn-based fracases that see players twiddling their fingers as they wait for action meters to slowly fill so that they can issue commands or use support items. It's not easy—some of the later battles can be devilishly difficult—but it does become boringly repetitive.

Long story short, if you're looking for some genuinely clever, video game-themed, adult humour, you can just read the thrice-weekly Penny Arcade comic, and save your video game time for better designed, more innovative titles.