Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: The March of the Minis (Nintendo DS)

Mario's latest adventure casts him into the role of master toymaker, inventing cute clockwork Mario robots as well as versions of other Mushroom Kingdom denizens. The toy line is so successful that he opens an amusement park to showcase his minis that attracts a bunch of familiar characters, including Donkey Kong and Pauline (the long-forgotten femme fatale from the first Donkey Kong game). Donkey Kong takes a monkey-shine to Pauline and, true to his nature, promptly captures her, smashes up the park, and hides himself in the factory. Mario comes to the rescue, with the help of scores of wind-up alter-egos.

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG 2: MARCH OF THE MINIS offers nine themed worlds (each with nine levels), a bunch of clever Mini games, and a showdown boss level against the wily monkey himself. Tap a mini-Mario to get him moving, make him stop, or get him to jump. Each level has obstacles, enemies, pits, traps, and more, and getting the minis safely to the door on the other end of the screen is the goal. You'll do plenty of timing and tapping with the stylus to get them to stop at the edge of a pit, or enter an elevator at just the right time.

There's a lot of game here, but players need to realize that this is not a sequel to spring's excellent New Super Mario Bros. This is a clever puzzler much like the fan-favorite PC legend Lemmings. The game is simple and addictive.

The game's powerful Construction Mode lets players use the stylus to build their own custom levels and challenges. Even better, these can be traded via Wi-Fi. This is good, clean, challenging fun for puzzle fans and Mario fans alike. There's nothing "mini" about the gameplay here.