Spread cheer (and destruction) in new Gift of the Yeti Facebook game

One of the first holiday games of the season has sprung up on Facebook, starring a Yeti who helps Santa (who has fallen ill after drinking some iffy egg nog) deliver packages to good boys and girls. Of course, Yeti's aren't known for their grace, so his delivery method -- which involves slamming presents down on houses -- also manages to terrorize the town.

Each game lasts 90 seconds, and the goal of the GOTY is to deliver gifts to as many lit houses as possible in that time frame, racking up points along the way. To move in the game, click on arrows and the Yeti slides from house to house, stopping to deliver to lit houses (the more of your Facebook friends playing the game, the more lit houses there will be). Of course, it wouldn't be much of a game without obstacles -- the Yeti must avoid cop cars and refill its gift supply by visiting caves or running into his friend Booya, who can be found randomly wandering around the town.



Since this is a social game, the more friends you invite to play, the more lit houses you'll be able to hit up with presents (and the more points you'll score in the end). Gift of the Yeti also includes a leaderboard, so you can always see how your score measures up against your pals.

An advent calendar in the game also promises to unveil more about this charitable Yeti; return every day to click on a door and read poems that reveal clues about this Yeti's past.

BioWare, the company responsible for video game hits such as Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect, says they created the social game as a holiday card to their fans, and its the first of other "compelling social experiences" to come from the development studio. As an added bonus, Bioware will donate a penny (up to $10,000) every time someone plays the game to Child's Play Charity.




A game that stars a Yeti and helps sick kids too? We're so there -- you should be too. Check out the game on Facebook now.