Action Replay is a device created by a company called Datel. There are many versions of Action Replays made for specific systems and this one is for the Nintendo ds. Bare in mind that this version of Action Replay WILL NOT work for Nintendo DSi or DSi XL although for me it works fine on my DS Lite. The main purpose of Action Replay is to unlock codes to make gameplay more customised or go through the games quicker. This can make gameplay less frustration, but at a price. Nintendo does not support Action Replay and is not licensed by them, this is stated the moment you switch the DS on.

There are also many WiFi events that ban of the use of Action Replay. Pokemon Community, Serebii Forums can punish forum members by just talking about it. If they saw me write this they can infract me just for writing this review. Ironically, I bought Action Replay for the DSi in front a Serebii Forum mod (she is also my friend). There are many gamers that deem it illegal in game-play because it's pretty much a cheating device. If you go on a WiFi event and your opponents know that you're playing the the influence of Action Replay, they're not going to be happy.

For general use, you don't really have to be a genius to work them. When you buy the product in it's complete packaging it should come with an instruction handbook, USB and disc. The USB and disc are useful for it you want to update the codes and the device and to add more games in the future. I'd recommend you keep the USB and disc safe because who knows when you'll need it next. The device already comes with a lot of codes in it already so the chances are if you insert the Action Replay into the Ds and insert the game cartridge in the Action Replay it will quickly know what your game and will show you a list of codes you can use.

You also have the opportunity to manually add games and codes onto the device. I personally wouldn't bother with this as this takes up too much time and codes can be very long. Typing with a stylus can take a very long time and fixing a mistake is not easy. So I'd recommend using the disc if you'd like to add more codes because it saves a lot of time.

I only use it for my pokemon games where it's delivered it's most use. Particiually when it comes to unlocking stages in the game that need to be downloaded through an exclusive event or the use of Mystery Gift. If you ever get stuck on using the device, there are plenty of tutorials and sites that can help you, just look around and make sure that what ever site you're on endorses the discussion of cheating devices.

There are still issues you can get with this device. Being totally dependant on the device can risk corruptions of your console and save files. In the worst case scenario, the console will no longer play games. As these are unlicensed by Nintendo the quality can vary and can cause internal damage to the console. Fortunately for me the worst thing the device has done for me is that sometimes the games freeze. It can also make the game freeze if try to load too many codes at once.

Overall, I think that this is a good device, although it's useful it's incredibly fragile. I would only recommend this product but it should only be used in moderation.