By Richard Bell

ABOUT the size of the old Game Boy Advance, the DS, with its two colour screens, one of which is touch- sensitive, must be something of a gamble for Nintendo.

A gamble as gamers may, or may not, embrace the revolutionary layout and also due to the fact Sony has its game, movie and music-playing PSP handheld waiting in the wings.

Coming complete with a demo copy of third-person shooter Metroid Prime: Hunters on a storage medium about the same size as a Compact Flash card, early adopters don’t have to waste much time making up their minds about the DS’s failings and merits.

Training Mode puts you right in at the deep end. The upper screen is where all the action takes place, while the lower one displays a map and some virtual buttons.

Grasping the unit with both hands, what you aim at is determined by moving a plastic stylus over the touch-sensitive screen and equates to what you do with a PC’s mouse. Better still, the use of a wrist strap that doubles as a thumb stylus makes the process feel much more natural.

The index finger of your other hand, meanwhile, taps a shoulder button to fire, while your right thumb has four buttons with which to strafe left and right and move forward and back. ‘Lefties’ are also catered for as there’s another shoulder button at the other side and also a conventional D-pad.

Control is surprisingly intuitive and makes a lot more sense when you don’t look and what your fingers and strapped-up thumb are doing.

Both displays are put to good use from the very start of the game, when scenes from the movie intro are split between them, giving a fair impression that there is only one screen.

With each display boasting a 256x192 pixel resolution, and able to deliver 260,000 colours, graphics are taken to a new level for this kind of machine. Complemented by stereo speakers at either side of the upper screen, sound separation is very good and surround effects surprisingly effective.

Multi-Player Mode showcases the unit’s built-in support for wireless gaming. Of course, you need a pal with a DS to take advantage of this killer app, but when you do, rest assured you can expect to game together despite being separated by up to 150ft in an open area and 30ft in the house.

There’s no lag in the connection between the two units and play runs as smooth as if you were playing alone. Also making use of the wireless connectivity is Nintendo’s PictoChat that comes pre-loaded on the DS and allows you to enter ‘chat rooms’ occupied by other DS users within range and send them messages and drawings.

Another great bonus is that those nice people at Nintendo have made the DS compatible with the vast library of GBA games, though you can’t play these wirelessly or in multi-player mode.

VERDICT: A bold step into the new world of two-screen, touchy-feely handheld gaming, whether the DS will fly or fall depends largely on the imagination of software developers. It’s early days yet, but, if Metroid Prime is anything to go by, the future’s looking bright.

Five stars

By George Wright

ELECTRONIC ARTS have once again unleashed their own particular brand of mayhem on sports fans — this time with an NFL Street update that bounces back into action Big time.

Rolled up into a humorous helping of hi-flyin’ football are challenges galore in single-player, multi-player and on-line options.

Under the wrapper are modes such as Quick Game, Pick-Up, NFL Gauntlet, Street Events, NFL Challenge and Own the City — so many options that you won’t want to put it down, just Touchdown.

An ideal title for American footy fans becoming a wee bit weary of more in-depth and stats-heavy NFL sims, this is arcade action bursting at the seams with pick-up-and-playability.

The rumbles and fumbles have moved from stadiums to the streets of America.

It’s a case of play anywhere, anytime with 2 on 2 and 4 on 4 attitude-packed free-for-alls among parking lots, rooftops, aqueducts and alleyways.

There are 12 ‘stadiums’ to choose from, each with its own distinctive look and surrounded by walls and fencing which players utilise by leaping around like Spiderman to avoid crunching tackles and springing from railings to reach high passes.

Player controls take a little getting used to, but pay off handsomely in the end through various button-combo moves, which rack up extra points and bonuses, especially when combined with the Hotspot targets scattered around freely.

Looks haven’t been neglected either and the detail is great throughout, right down to players’ tattoos and trainers.

VERDICT: Another fine helping of fast and furious gridiron fun.

Three stars