All in all, Elastic Boy is a moderately good start for young kids who want to start getting into actual gaming (perhaps as a step up from Lexis Numerique's other WiiWare series), and for 600 Wii Points it's not really too expensive. Be on the lookout for sequels!

The DSi's lack of multitouch severely hampers attempts at emulating musical instruments – particularly a piano; even though this erases any hope of learning chords or playing anything complicated, however, it doesn't prevent the game from demonstrating the simplest way to tickle the ivories.

Fans of the classic 8-bit era shoot-'em-ups will like find Cosmos X2 a nice reminder of days gone by, but gamers who've become accustomed to the manic screen-filling sprays of enemy fire found in many of today's bullet hell shooters will likely find the slower pace of the game a bit too lacking in the intensity department.

At the asking price, Gunblade NY/LA Machineguns is a steal. While Gunblade is showing its age a little now, LA Machineguns is still an excellent shooter with an interesting combo system that should bring players back to hone their skills.

Ivy the Kiwi is the perfect example of the type of enjoyable and refreshing gaming experience that can be created when a developer isn't afraid to try something a little different.

There's no denying that Ivy the Kiwi? is absolutely overflowing with charm and personality.

My Farm is easy to pick on, but the economic aspects are balanced nicely, so your decisions matter and strategy is important.

Broken Rules certainly lives up to its name with And Yet It Moves, and the result is an addictive and memorable puzzle-platformer sure to please anyone with an affinity for either genre.

Its inherently enticing gameplay and relatively short nature gives it great pick-up-and-play appeal, and while single player mode likely won't keep you enthralled for hours on end, its multiplayer very well might.

If you're looking for a game with a lot of content and an engaging story, then you might want to look elsewhere. Fans of old arcade-style games who obsess about getting high scores, however, might find a lot of enjoyment and replayability here.

It's sad to see such a potentially great game be held back by a few poor design choices and a wonky camera, but it's worth a gamble at only 500 Points.

Divergent Shift might have been a more refreshing experience had it been released before Chronos Twins hit the service, but as it is, the game ends up feeling like nothing more than a more expensive and slightly less fulfilling clone.

The true beauty of 3D Mahjong is that it is simply the classic game with a lot of variety.

If you found some uses for the first myNotebook, or passed altogether the first time around, picking up this new version is a safe bet.

Even if the controls worked, even if the graphics weren't insultingly poor, even if the voice acting wasn't painful and even if the enemies weren't called Knagars, Space Trek would still be a mediocre game unworthy of your precious Wii Points.

My Aquarium 2 never strays too far from the formula that made it so popular the first time around, choosing instead to toss in a couple of new features and a host of new goodies to play around with and calling it a day.

Whether you beat the game or not, there's no happy ending to Enjoy Your Massage.

Hints Hunter is a fun game overall, presenting a number of puzzles that are varied, entertaining and pretty, but the majority of challenges are far too simplistic.

Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots and Games is a turkey: pointless beyond measure, joyless without equal, it's at least consistent in offering dull, unappealing slot machines.

a snooze from the past. Even with perfectly adequate controls, pretty nice graphics and a four player multiplayer mode, the simplistic, repetitive gameplay and unimaginative challenges deliver little fun, moderate action, and a whole lot of regret.

While its components are far more fun and appealing than previous iterations in the DSiWare Petz series, there are just too few of them and too many issues along the way in the game's often imprecise controls and confusing design mechanics.

While simple, easy to pick up and fun, this game never feels above average. It's just too generic and limited, and the steep difficulty slope in Match Machine mode further quashes its potential.

Arc Rise Fantasia does pretty much everything you'd expect a Japanese RPG to do - problem is, it doesn't do much beyond that.

There are a few minor gameplay glitches along the way, but they do little to take away from what is an otherwise engaging and enjoyable underwater diving experience and one well worth the 1000 Wii Point asking price.

Not even the 500-Point price tag can justify a purchase of the mindless Heavy Fire, because for a whopping double that you can get a miles better retail game like Ghost Squad or House of the Dead: Overkill.

Absolute Brickbuster is by no means bad: it controls just fine, and it does everything it promises to do, but unfortunately that isn't much, and it doesn't deliver anything surprising in addition.

Third time is not the charm for these Puffins, as Let's Race is a sub-par racer that just isn't fun to play.

Although it might be almost sickening to Pokémon fans to see how similar this is to their beloved franchise, we can't really be too critical of it.

With no real sense of achievement in clearing randomly generated puzzles rather than a limited list, it's hard to recommend Crazy Sudoku over more rewarding experiences like Sudoku Sensei.

If you're in the market for a bucolic, aquatic and mostly decorative program such as this, Zenquaria isn't the worst choice you could make.

There's plenty of fun to be had, but given the clever level designs and gameplay ideas, you can't help but be left wondering how much better it would have been with a little tightening up in the control department.

While the very young may be entertained by this for awhile, they'll soon grow tired of going through the same motions repeatedly.

Scrabble Tools tries to be educational, but its method of teaching is so slapdash that you'll probably come away with only a few more random words for your vocabulary.

As a child's game it does its job very well, but for anyone else it's a solid pass.

Hospital Havoc is simple and fun with a great sense of humour and a lot of replay value. It's ultimately pretty thin and repetitive, but it can still provide an entertaining, addictive and challenging experience.

HoopWorld is not a bad choice for a quick and cheap round of arcade basketball, and those blessed souls willing to overlook the flawed controls might find themselves having a pretty good time.

A fascinating and unique WiiWare game that deserves to stand on its own merits.

Balloon Pop Festival is a good puzzle game with some neat elements, though it comes together in a very generic, run of the mill way. Looking past the questionable control option and simplistic gameplay is easy, however, considering that there might not be another WiiWare game with such a great mixture of cute, colourful visuals and engaging gameplay fundamentals.

Primrose is the kind of game that gives back what you put into it. You can mess around and have a fun enough time, and if you're willing to put the time in to penetrate its intricacies you'll find one of the most rewarding puzzle games currently available on DSiWare.

Not only do you get a host of new tracks and vehicles, but the same frantic capture the flag style gameplay returns in all of its glory.

Play French is barely educational and only mildly fun.

With a retro-styled interface and sounds to throw any gaming fan into a fit of audio nostalgia, Music On: Retro Keyboard is simply more fun than the serious Electronic Keyboard.

You can't help but marvel at how the developers were somehow able to squeeze a console-sized RPG epic onto the diminutive DS, especially given how mammoth the quest itself is.

You can't help but feel that the game is constantly trying to do too many things at once.

While its main components aren't bad, the whole thing's repetitive and ends up evening out with about as many flaws as it has positive features.

If you're looking for a "game" which you can play a few minutes every day that doesn't really require a lot of effort, Hello Flowerz is probably your best bet.

For those who survive it, Pearl Harbor Trilogy: Red Sun Rising offers a thrilling experience that will encourage returning to replay it again and again until the next game in the trilogy is released.

Taking many of the enjoyable visual, musical, and gameplay aspects of the DS Castlevania releases, the game molds together an absolutely terrific platforming experience that's not only extremely playable, but also wildly enjoyable as well.

SteamWorld is a well put-together tower defence game, though it can get very difficult after only minutes of play time. It doesn't do anything especially interesting or groundbreaking, but if you're looking for your next fix in the genre, then this might be for you.

Moto Racer is a must-have for fans of the genre, but for those unacquainted with racing titles and looking for a more light hearted approach to racing, perhaps Mario Kart is a safer bet.

While not quite as fulfilling an experience as that of its Wii counterpart, the game still provides a nice puzzle-infused platforming romp that should more than please fans of the Harry Potter series of books and movies.

This may be the best virtual incarnation of both the LEGO and Harry Potter worlds so far, but the experience might still fall short for some.

As the first Picross game available on DSiWare, Animal Color Cross is a very solid pick for anybody craving more grid-checking action. For just 500 Nintendo Points you're getting something half the size of a previous retail game, which is obviously a great deal.

Despite some nagging issues that we hope to see corrected for the next time around, it's well worth playing as there's nothing else quite like it on WiiWare.

While JV Games has added some very nice improvements to their original Pong Toss concept, unfortunately it's still very much the same game and one that still doesn't translate well into a video gaming experience.

Fingers are now firmly crossed that this sublime title finds the audience it so clearly deserves.

The Story Mode is the highlight, though the story itself is wasted given the lackluster quality of most of the mini-games on offer.

Art Style: Penta Tentacles is a real treat for the senses: it's visually beautiful and controls well with an outstanding soundtrack that engages and immerses the player into the simple, but compelling gameplay.

Gamers who tend to prefer a more "grown-up" strategy experience will likely find the cutesy bears and penguins a bit much, but for those who can appreciate the silly theme and intense gameplay mechanics, the game certainly has its charms and can be downright addictive.

While not quite as immersive as the tower-defence style gameplay of Chaotic Conflicts, the game's unique puzzle elements do offer up a nice change of pace from the other Tales of Bearsworth Manor release.

Bejeweled-style puzzle games are addictive, and Spin Six is a very good example of why. It offers a lot of clever, time-sucking modes that may surprise you with their complexity.

As far as word puzzles go, Mega Words is a pretty bland experience. It does what it sets out to do, but it doesn't particularly excel or do anything new or otherwise noteworthy. Hardcore word puzzle fans only need apply.

While it doesn't do anything particularly interesting for the genre or the nine year old game that it emulates, it does a great job of presenting us with something that we already know and love.

It may get dull after a while, but while it lasts Let's Roll! is a decent diversion for younger players.

T-Rex Rumble would be an automatic recommendation if not for the occasionally dumb-as-a-rock AI of your soldiers, the often glitchy controls and other small flaws.

If you’ve enjoyed previous entries in the series, you’ll know what to expect from this: mischievous kids, duplicitous teachers and just the right amount of toilet humour.

You're getting a big set of tough crosswords in this package – almost eighteen months' worth of Telegraph crosswords are crammed into a DSiWare download, and all for less than the price of a week's papers.

It won't help you to learn the real instrument, but it might keep your musical brain ticking over between sitdowns at the ivories.

If you’re looking for an affordable, well put-together game with a decent amount of enjoyment, try out A Kappa’s Trail.

This is an obsolete high-score improvement tool good for little more than nostalgia.

Bejeweled 2 on WiiWare is undoubtedly great if you've never played the game before, but its biggest competition is ultimately itself: versions of the game are available on virtually every platform, some cheaper or even free to play, so a 1000 Point WiiWare download might not be the best option for you.

Between these limitations, as well as a general lack of options or control precision, this collection is only for casual gamers and even then only if they are looking for a collection that will let them play a lot of different games but none of them well.

For only 500 Points this is better value than some other games on the service, so if you feel like a few hours spotting hidden items then this is your best bet on WiiWare so far.

It's something different, and Dodge Ball die-hards should love the extra challenge. [July 2010, p.86]

Fire Panic could've been above par, but the difficulty curve is just far too unbalanced.

We found it to be a fun experience, despite some slightly annoying controls and obtuse instructions. If you like sim games or meerkats and want to try your hand at building a pack of your own, it's certainly worth a look.

Flametail succeeds in taking the very simple gameplay idea of Maboshi's Square puzzler and turning it into a very enjoyable stand-alone package.

This is a very inventive, fun and lengthy puzzle game marred slightly by a good deal of overly easy levels and at times uninteresting gameplay.

A good book for more imaginative children when compared to a lot of the horror-based titles, The Folk of the Faraway Tree is a fun read even now. The repetition of content from the previous Flips release is disappointing however, so be warned if you're planning to buy both titles.

If you bought the first Reel Fishing Challenge then there's no need to splurge on this one unless you're exceptionally fond of FMV backgrounds.

Nearly every facet of Zoo Disc Golf’s execution is completely broken: the controls are fidgety and inaccurate, the game’s presentation is some of the worst on Wii and it does all of this while being completely unenjoyable.

Voodoo Dice is a decent idea, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired. If you don't mind frequently having to retry stages or having to take your time to ensure you don't make any mistakes, it could be fairly enjoyable, but most are going to want to look elsewhere for their puzzle fix.

A competent puzzle platformer that tends to satisfy rather than entertain.

This is a fun tower defence game with enough unique features and strategic elements to keep it interesting and a sense of humour to set it apart from its competitors.

Despite the occasional visual and control quirks, X-Scape is, quite simply, a fantastic follow-up to a game that the West barely knew. Loaded with content, ambitious and borderline experimental in aesthetic, it's got enough meat on its bones to rival a lot of retail releases and certainly stands tall on DSiWare.

Those looking for a good, enjoyable game should look elsewhere though, because despite only being 50 minutes long, you're likely to get bored before it ends.

If you're a huge shooter fan who just can't seem to get enough of what the genre has to offer, you certainly might enjoy the game, but for everyone else, you'll likely be better off saving those Nintendo Points until something a little more enjoyable comes along.

For a meagre 200 points, it's a no-brainer for number fans.

There are more enjoyable one-player games on the service for considerably cheaper, but very few games with such a good grasp of multiplayer, so get a few of your knuckle-dragging buddies involved and go apeshi… well, just go ape.

With only one real, fairly short game mode (the pattern randomization doesn't do that much, after all) and two ships catering to two very specific groups of players, Metal Torrent will only appeal to two types of people: those who are interested in bullet hell shooters but haven't actually played any, and those who are already highly skilled at them. Anybody inbetween should look elsewhere for their shoot-'em-up fix.

Advanced Circuits is a solid puzzler, but you can't help but come away from it feeling like it's something you've already played before.

At the rate DSiWare has been going, you should have another, hopefully better, option coming in down the line to put your chips on.

For those who enjoy the hidden object genre, Jack's a darkly fun experience with lots of replay value and a good amount of difficulty variation.

Don't be fooled by the racing appearance, as light trax is just as much a puzzle game able to hold its strategic own against any other entry in the Art Style series. It's full of unconventional and clever ideas executed through an attractive neon minimalist style that can satisfy fans of both genres, especially those who have grown weary of the typical fare each tends to offer.

Viral Survival does pretty much exactly what you would expect from a high score game on WiiWare, but refreshingly the games are actually kind of fun.

Every once in a while a video game comes along that's just so spectacular that it ends up defining the very system it's released on and raises the bar by which all other games in the series and genre will be judged. It's safe to say that game has now arrived on the Wii console.

For veterans, the lack of full control can be off-putting, seemingly lowering the level of skill required to succeed, but if you can see past that you’ll still find something to enjoy.

Bit.Trip RUNNER epitomises the best qualities of the Bit.Trip series in terms of being a fun game to play as well as honouring the pioneers of console gaming.