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Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is the antithesis of what most would expect for a Nintendo Wii game.

There's no motion-controlled gameplay, and players primarily use just a couple of buttons to launch commands in the turn-based role-playing game. But if you can get over the game's lack of flash and gimmicks, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a deep, compelling game that will suck dozens of hours of your time before you know it.

Although the franchise isn't a household name in North America, the Fire Emblem series is now 10 games deep and has appeared on a variety of Nintendo platforms. Like the “Final Fantasy” series and others in the role-playing genre, the game doesn't involve much action and focuses more on strategy.

Rather than directly controlling the onscreen combat, players orchestrate where their troops should be and then initiate an attack or other action by selecting from a list of commands. The style of gameplay could turn off those who seek fast-paced action - but once you get a handle on the game's intricacies and how it works, it proves to be highly addictive.

The player controls a large cast of characters that build experience and skills in combat and must be micro-managed so they're always in good health and equipped with weapons. You can choose whether to have a balanced team of characters or allocate most of your experience points to one or two powerhouse players.

Because there are so many characters to control as they weave in and out of the game's storyline, you may be tempted to focus your attention on the main protagonists at the expense of the bit players.

But be warned: it's incredibly easy to suddenly lose a character in battle, and once they're gone there's no going back. Even your strongest character can go down with a lucky blow from an enemy and erase all the progress you had been building throughout the game.

Luckily, there is the option of restarting from the last save point to minimize character losses, and that backtracking will likely happen again and again and again for most players. Some tough levels could take a dozen or more tries to complete unscathed, which can become extremely frustrating. But get used to it or be willing to lose some of your best characters, because it will happen - a lot.

Even some of the first few levels are just as challenging as the final few, making the game a real challenge from start to finish with few breaks in between.

For fans of the genre, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is quick to pick up and, despite its toughness, will offer plenty of fun. But other gamers may find the somewhat uninspiring graphics, lack of action, and intimidating learning curve too much to get used to, and move on not long after getting started.

The one-player strategy game is rated E-10-plus, for gamers 10 and up.