Kirby returns to Wii VC

Originally released on the Super Nintendo in 1998, Kirby's Dream Land 3 took the original Game Boy series of platformers to home consoles. The game expands on the series' core mechanic of swallowing enemies to gain their powers, and it includes a second playable character, Gooey, as well as a cooperative multiplayer mode to match. Kirby's Dream Land 3 sells for 800 Wii points, or $8.

This week's WiiWare release is Konami's Sandy Beach, which lets players build--and of course defend--towering sand castles. One or two gamers place cannons strategically throughout their castle compounds to stave off encroaching crabs. In-between waves, players use a metal detector to comb the beach for booty and extra artillery. Sandy Beach sells for 500 Wii points ($5).

Finally, Microsoft announced its Xbox Live Arcade release of the week, Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos (pictured). A seek-and-find puzzle game, Interpol has players canvassing the globe in search of a fugitive who shares his name with an obscure NES game from Pony Canyon. Developed by TikGames (creator of XBLA games such as Texas Hold 'Em and Domino Master), Interpol will launch on the service Wednesday with an 800 Microsoft point ($10) price tag.