With Halloween coming up this weekend, now more than ever we're reminded that a zombie apocalypse is inevitable. Admit it. We all know that the undead hordes are just sitting back and waiting for the right moment to shamble on over and eat our brains. We just need to know the best way to fight back. Thankfully, we've got the folks over at PopCap Games around to teach us that when Z-Day finally hits, all we'll need to stay safe is some potting soil and a green thumb. Forget the military, the real battle for the survival of mankind will be decided by the winner of the epic fight between "Plants vs. Zombies".

Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense game now available for the PC and Mac, and in development for Xbox LIVE Arcade and iPhone. In case you're new to the whole "tower defense" experience, it breaks down like this. The player has a small amount of time to build up defenses to protect a certain goal from waves of oncoming enemies. In Plants vs. Zombies, your home is under siege from the legions of the undead, and your brains are that "certain goal" you're trying to protect. The only thing keeping you from becoming a buffet is your well kept lawn and an arsenal of plant life that look like it's come from a remake to Little Shop of Horrors.

The yard is divided into a 6x9 grid. Each patch of property can hold exactly one plant. While the zombies shamble across the lawn trying to reach the juicy, brainy morsels hiding out inside, you've got to plant the seeds of their destruction with a variety of greenery ranging in form and function. Peashooters, for example, are your basic cannon, firing a steady stream of, well, peas at anything trying to make its way across your lawn. Walnuts, with their sturdy shells, are great for defense, sacrificing themselves to stall the zombie advance (after all ... it's a "wall", nut). Later levels add units like "Cabbage-pults" and "Torchwood" to your botanical battalion. Of course, some of your undead invaders have actually managed to pick up a few tricks of their own. Some will wear buckets or cones on their heads to take a few extra shots. Some former track stars can pole vault over your best laid traps. And some will actually bungee down from the sky and plant-nap some of your favorite flowers.

There's so much going for Plants vs. Zombies, it's hard to figure out exactly where to begin. For starters, you've got the look of the game. From the first time a zombie shuffles onto the yard, you can't help but crack a smile. For being dead, these guys are the life of the party. It's easy to get wrapped up in the creativity behind the characters' designs and forget that you've got a game to play. Even your chlorophyll cohorts are blooming in personality. The learning curve on the game is set just right also. Newcomers can ease into the action early on, but later stages will still challenge even the most steadfast gamer. Oh, and just to keep things from getting stale, you can unlock a bunch of other game modes, including bowling minigames, a puzzle game, and survival mode.

Usually, this would be about the time I'd start pointing out the flaws in a game ... those little blemishes that chip away at a game's experience, but with Plants vs. Zombies, it's hard to find anything to gripe about. This is one of those rare games that has a little something for pretty much everyone. You've got gameplay that's easy to learn, but still gives plenty of challenge. You've got a strategic thinking game coupled with frantic action, and plenty of bonuses to keep you coming back for more. And it's all wrapped up in a nice, neat package with plenty of tongue-in-cheek (un)deadpan humor. In Plants vs. Zombies, when green thumb meets gangrene thumb, we all win.

Final Score: A+