3, 2, 1... Words Up! is a fun, no-frills word game rounded out by a nice presentation and the inclusion of multilingual play. A good value at 200 Points, traveling wordsmiths would be wise to keep this handy for an on-the-go fix.

Theatrhythm's varying difficulties make it easy to enjoy for players of all skill levels with the RPG mechanics an extra bonus for those who desire it. It absolutely does justice to the Final Fantasy brand, presenting its characters and, most importantly, music with love and respect that makes it feel like a tribute as much as a standalone video game. There are so many songs to play, items to find and characters to level up you'll find yourself struggling to put it down.

Akari by Nikoli shines the brightest of Hamster's eShop puzzlers so far. However faint that praise may seem, watching these 50 puzzles unfold can be an illuminating experience once you wrap your mind around how they work.

Let's not mince words: Topoloco is awful. The fact that it chose to emphasize education over fun is not the problem; the problem is that it bungles even the educational side of things. It's slow, clumsy, brainless and annoying. If taking an endless series of barely interactive exams appeals to you, then perhaps you will enjoy Topoloco. Perhaps you will also enjoy finding a different hobby.

There aren't many games that have you anxious to slide aside a curtain; Project Zero 2: Wii Edition does. It's a fine example of a survival horror game despite some awkward controls and an over-reliance on cut scenes that occasionally break the moment. Even with these problems the tension remains consistently high thanks to its bleak, intriguing plot, an atmosphere that is second to none and excellent presentation.

Zen Studios has gone from strength to strength with its digital tables, and some of the ones included in Marvel Pinball 3D are quite possibly the pinnacle of their work so far. These four tables are dense enough to continually find som

Hardcore shmup fans have been waiting a long time for a solid eShop title, but while Flip the Core features some nice gameplay ideas, the need to keep flipping planes and trying to keep track of levels that keep constantly changing ends up taking too much focus off of the core shooting experience. The inexpensive $2 price tag makes the game at least worth checking out for those who just can't get enough arcade shooting action, but that comes with the caveat of keeping your expectations in check when you do.

Bomb Monkey's nothing truly explosive, but it's certainly no dud. It's a charming addition to the eShop, but with just a few tweaks it could have been much more satisfying.

Like the petri dish in which it takes place, Escape the Virus: Swarm Survival is shallow, but there's fun to be found. It's quick, hectic and has that "one more try" quality that makes for a good on-the-go game. It's let down by slightly lacklustre presentation and having no way to compare your high scores with friends, and the difficulty is artificially inflated by the small screen resolution, but for 200 Points these are quibbles. If the concept appeals to you and you enjoy beating your own records, you'll have a good time surviving this swarm.

Please know that Jewel Legends: Tree of Life is not, by any means, a poorly executed game, but it is one that has little to no ambition. The gameplay is familiar and the presentation is generic, but that doesn't mean it's no fun.

Perhaps Nikoli is too pleased with its hand-crafted puzzles to mechanise them with video game conventions, but lacking the will to really embrace its new medium ultimately will keep these puzzle packages from hitting their potential. Slitherlink by Nikoli suffers from the same indifference as previous - and likely future - releases, making it a tough sell for someone looking for more than just paper puzzles.

Lola's Fruit Shop Sudoku is without question easy to play, but how well it will hold a child's attention is another question. The rules of Sudoku are just complicated enough that this one might be a less than ideal fit for its target audience. On the plus side it looks and plays wonderfully, but unfortunately there's very little content on offer, and even the most interested children are likely to find it tedious before long.

Pokemon Conquest is a game that no one asked for, but many will enjoy - fans of either series will be drawn in by the familiar and be taught to love what's new.

As the first full-length retail title to come to be distributed through the eShop, Order Up!! could have gone either way. Fortunately though it has an excellent blend of the best of both worlds: the length of a retail game, and the addictiveness and replayability of a mobile one. Some minor issues do mar the experience a bit, but overall there's very little to complain about. It's frantic, fun, humorous and contains a massive amount of content. If this were a burger order, it'd be well done.

Save The Furries is a real mixed bag. Some levels feel focused and work very well, but others are floaty and chaotic to a degree that just isn't fun. It has its merits, but unless you're a big follower of this sort of puzzle game, you might be better off saving your Nintendo Points instead.

Unless you've played it before and can't resist the pull of nostalgia, this is one old Dog that isn't worth the adoption.

Heroes of Ruin does have a few rough edges and areas where greater refinement would have been welcome, but they don't detract from an accomplished effort on 3DS. A short campaign is offset by four separate characters to develop, and the experience feels entirely suitable for a fully-tooled handheld action RPG. It's the online structure that truly raises the bar for the platform; crawling through dungeons is a lot more fun with others to share the glory, and the inclusion of voice chat in particular is a highlight.

How much you get out of Rayman Origins ultimately comes down to whether you've played it already. 3DS isn't exactly bursting with 2D platformers, so if you haven't sampled the magic of Rayman Origins on another platform this is well worth picking up. However, it doesn't compare favourably to the other versions and makes little use of 3DS's unique abilities. A good, solid 2D platformer, it'll still entertain and amuse in spite of its flaws.

Devil Band - Rock the Underworld is a poor man's Plants vs. Zombies. It's cheaper to buy but equally cheap on the ideas front, with nothing new to contribute to the formula and a worse way of doing what makes PvZ worth playing. Tactically bankrupt and equally light on entertainment, it's definitely one to avoid.

Kakuro by Nikoli is straightforward almost to a fault, and value-neutral novelties like local multiplayer make it difficult to justify its asking price. Considering there is only one other kakuro title on the eShop - the rather excellent and more diverse Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro - Kakuro by Nikoli is by default a decent next step for more of this type of puzzle. However, if this is your first kakuro rodeo then you're better off grabbing Telegraph's less expensive and more expansive offering.

Had 99seconds an arcade cabinet yelling for our attention, we would stroll right on up to it and put in the equivalent of 200 Nintendo Points for a quick challenge of skill. It's a title limited in scope but 99seconds does one thing and does it with competence, and that's probably all that we could reasonably ask of it before marching on to the next cabinet.

Snakenoid Deluxe is every bit as bad as Snakenoid, which is understandable, as it's practically the same game. We didn't enjoy it very much the first time, and this re-release for the sake of asking "do you like me yet?" gives us no reason to reconsider our stance. The controls are awful, the gameplay frustrating and unaddictive and the presentation is entirely forgettable. Join us again next year for our review of Snakenoid Deluxe Remastered.

Even for WiiWare veterans, Art of Balance: Touch! is worth the double-dip for the extra puzzles, blocks and endurance mode, plus the ability to play on the go. Deceptively simple and gloriously satisfying, it's another strong addition to the eShop's puzzle line up.

At its heart, Chronicles of Vampires: Awakening is a very middle-of-the-road hidden object game. Fans of the genre won't be disappointed as the puzzles are decent, and it makes for a serviceable time-waster, helped in part by its at times interesting gameplay choices and slightly above average story. It's a step up over its predecessor, then, but not a big one.

We have a hard time imagining just who the target audience is for Sudoku by Nikoli, or why anyone should choose it over competing titles lurking in the DSiWare section of the eShop. Perhaps if you've exhausted every single sudoku puzzle available on the platform then the extra 50 will come in handy then Nikoli will look attractive, but everyone else will do just fine without it.

There's no doubt that Mario Tennis Open is a strong and accessible entry in the beloved series, and a group of friends gathered round can lose themselves in it for a long time. Solo players can still have a good time perfecting their skills, and playing online is a nice way to keep things interesting, but the missing RPG mode leaves a pretty big hole that a lack of substantial single-player content struggles to really fill - and unless you're a part of a cabal of 3DS owners you'll miss out on the real heart of the game: punching your wily opponent in the arm after a hard-fought match.

Paul's Shooting Adventure 2 is a pretty safe bet for fans of the first game. There are some minor gameplay differences, but overall the main draw here is its simultaneous 2-player mode. While this does require two copies of the game, the low price can justify another purchase. It may not move the series very far forward, but it sure is having fun along the way.

Shifting World certainly contains the germ of a great idea but it execution leaves a lot to be desired. Uninspired level design, a useless map, poor responsiveness and inexplicable slowdown all come together to make Shifting World feel like an unfinished beta version released at retail. Shifting World had potential, but in its current state, you're not missing much by passing on it.