A good place to start for new DS-ers (42 All Time Classics (DS))

Member Name: eilidhcatriona

Product:	42 All Time Classics (DS)
Date:	18/05/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good selection of games, ideal for picking up in a spare 5 minutes

Disadvantages: None I can think of

42 All Time Classics was among the first few games I got for the DS, on the recommendation of a friend.

The first thing I'll say is that this is a great starting point for those new to the DS. There are loads of different games on one cartridge (42 games oddly enough...) so there's plenty to keep you busy until you can build up your collection of DS games.

The selection of games is really good - there are easy, intermediate and hard ranked card games, easy and hard board games, variety games, action games...my favourites are backgammon, solitaire, spit and bowling. Yes, ten pin bowling on the DS, and it works very well.

There are instructions for each game, and once you've learnt the rules, the games themselves are easy to play using the stylus.

One tip I'll give is to try playing this on "Stamp" mode instead of on "Free Play" - the free play mode allows you to play one game of whatever you want, or as many as you like. On stamp mode you work through every game there is, getting progressively harder and having to beat the computer at best of three. The reason I say try this mode is because after a while I found I was stuck in a rut, always playing the same few games in a circle. Stamp introduced me to games I hadn't tried before, plus it gives some structure to your playing.

Another great thing about this game selection is that you can pick it up for 5 minutes while you're waiting for your dinner to cook and have a quick game of something! As with most DS games it only takes a moment to load, and while some games take a little longer, some only take a couple of minutes.

I paid £20 for this in late summer last year. I'd say it is worth that, but I'm sure you can get it cheaper now.

All in all a good purchase, ideal for starting out on and great for picking up for a short while at a time

Summary: Good choice of games, easy to play