Dr. Mario Express (Nintendo DSi)

From graphics to music, DR. MARIO EXPRESS, a new DSi Ware game available through Nintendo's DSi Shop, is nearly identical to the original Dr. Mario for the Nintendo Entertainment system. Players manipulate pills as they descend in a rectangular box in an effort to make their colorful ends match with scattered viruses. Create a line of four same-colored pill pieces or viruses and they will all disappear. Players need to destroy all viruses to clear a level and move on to the next, which will feature a greater number of viruses and pills that fall more rapidly. For a little added challenge you can play against the computer in games in which random pill pieces fall into your puzzle each time the A.I. clears multiple lines.

Dr. Mario is a classic puzzler that easily stands the test of time; we found it to be just as compelling and habit-forming on the DSi as it has been in any of its other iterations. It's a marvelously intuitive game with simple objectives and even simpler controls. Even rookies ought to be able to pick up the game in just a few minutes. And with multiple levels of difficulty, even younger gamers can try their hand as Nintendo's mustachioed physician. The only letdown is a lack of support for multiplayer. Past Dr. Mario games have offered a great social gaming experience as players work quickly to stymie one another. It's a shame the Express edition doesn't facilitate this kind of play.

Available on: Nintendo DSi
Not available online
Genre: Puzzle
Developer: Nintendo
Released on: April 20, 2009
Price: 5
ESRB Rating: E for (No Descriptors)