In these release starved periods of gamer existence, when all the good games are perpetually a month away, Spare Change is here with advise on how to exchange money for goods and services. Of course you could catch up on all those games you bought that you haven’t played at. But secretly you just like spending money right?

This week we mix things up a bit with Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness.

Have you noticed that there just aren’t any funny games anymore, I mean really funny games. Sure some games make you laugh like crazy at the sheer carnage and violence on screen (personally I still laugh like Hannibal Lector every time I crash in Burnout Paradise) but when was the last time you played a game that was goal orientated towards making you laugh?

Long ago this wasn’t so uncommon. Thanks to the billions in cash virgins spent on Star Wars memorabilia a game company called Lucasarts made a whole bunch of really excellent point and click adventure games like Monkey Island, Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle, on the proviso they occasionally made a rubbish Star Wars game. But times changed, suddenly the Star Wars movies being released were rubbish and the games were awesome, but not so funny.

Anyway, long story short Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness is plenty funny. As it should be when it comes from Tycho and Gabe (aka Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik) the mysterious leaders of the cult like web comic Penny Arcade. In case you’ve never read Penny Arcade go to their latest comic here, then start at the beginning and read their entire catalogue of cartoons from 1998 onwards. They are all funny, some uncomfortably so, some brilliantly so.

Rather than using any of the existing universes of weirdness they’ve created in the comics such as Twisp and Catsby or the Cardboard Tube Samurai the creators chose a whole new universe for their first ever video game. You begin the game by creating your own player character and then immediately have your home destroyed by a giant steampunk version of the fearsome Fruit Fucker ™ who then stomps away. At this point you meet the two members of the Startling Developments Detective Agency: Tycho, a tommy gun wielding student of apocalyptic studies and his partner Gabe, who likes to punch things.

When you enter combat with mimes, hobos and barber shop quartets the game moves from a point and click adventure into a JRPG styled turn based battle. Each character can attack, use special abilities (requiring timed button press minigames to pull off) and use an item, either offensive like a bomb or jar of urine (really), or defensive like a health potion or stat booster. You can also call in one of three support characters for extra damage at certain times which are unlocked as you progress.

The game won't be for everyone, in fact its fair to say there are some who will hate the Final Fantasy combat and the back and forth traveling adventure element. It's one of those games where you'll find a fabulous wig or a crusty eel pie and be unsure exactly why you have this item until you bump into the person you're supposed to give it to. It's also kind of short and can be knocked on the head in about four or five hours for the dedicated player. If you aren't familiar with Penny Arcade's eccentric humour it's worth your while checking out the comic first.

Penny Arcade Adventures Episode One On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness can be had for a mere 1600 Microsoft points or through Steam and a few other services at the offical site. The game is also available over PSN for I around $30 but you can often get it for half price during 'specials'. If you enjoy you'll be pleased to know part two is all ready available (although my hard drive forbids me to download it) and the character you created in the first game will carry over with all his or her stats into the second game.

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