It's not the name of Merck's latest miracle allergy drug. It's the title of a terrific holiday film based on yet another tale by Rhode Island-based children's author Chris Van Allsburg, whose best-selling works include "Jumanji" and "The Polar Express." "Zathura," subtitled "A Space Adventure," turns out to be the best of the lot because director Jon Favreau, author of the 1996 comedy "Swingers," remains in touch with his angry inner sibling.

Danny (Jonah Boro) and Walter (Josh Hutcherson) are typical middle-class brothers. Six-year-old Danny feels unwanted. He can't throw a ball like his 10-year-old brother, Walter, who refuses to play with him and accuses him of being a cheater and a baby. The brothers compete for their father's (Tim Robbins) time.

Both Danny and Walter avoid their older sister (15-year-old Kristen Stewart of "Panic Room"). Lisa has entered puberty in a rage, locked herself in her darkened room to prepare to "hook up" with her friends for the evening and seriously regrets letting her father watch "thirteen."

Just when things between Walter and Danny could not get worse, Danny discovers a mechanical game called "Zathura" beneath the basement stairs. The game, a kind of alternative "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," incorporates a painted metal map of the solar system and tin spaceships. The players press a button to see how far they will travel and a card pops out of a slot with curious instructions and such information as "Meteor Shower - Take Evasive Action" or "Reprogram."

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