For full disclosure, I think it's fair to point out I'm a bit of an Ace Attorney fan boy. Evidence of this (in keeping with the style of the games) can be found in my verdict of Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations, which I delivered fully in the style of the game. With that in mind, it's a little disappointing that the latest title in the Ace Attorney series - and first designed for the DS from the ground up - leaves a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. Not bitter like lemons, just less sweet than usual - the difference between fruit pastels and wine gums, say. As a result, this review will read like a huge list of gripes, which is a bit misleading - because Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is still a really good game. However, fans of the series will realise what newcomers have a right to know - that Capcom haven't taken the steps needed to evolve the series to the next level.

For those not in the know, the Ace Attorney games, (I cannot describe them as the Phoenix Wright games any longer, because Phoenix has been moved upstairs) see you playing as a defence lawyer looking to prove that your clients are innocent of the murder charges brought against them. You do this by exploring crime scenes, talking to witnesses and then exposing contradictions in witness testimony in the courtroom. Each game plays like an interactive storybook and is the very definition of linear. Detractors claim that they aren't really games, due to their scripted, wordy and less interactive nature, but ignore these people, because they're miserable killjoys. Conventional or not, Ace Attorney represents some of the most engaging, memorable and enjoyable moments I have had in my gaming life.

However, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is different. While the other games in the series (in Europe at least) have led with the name of the former star - Phoenix Wright - this one doesn't because he's been retired as the protagonist. Now you're filling the distinctly blander shoes of Apollo Justice, a brand new rookie defence lawyer, as he heads off on his first four adventures. Any fears that this is some kind of new universe are quickly dispelled though, as your first case and the rest of the game, heavily involves Phoenix Wright and some of the other characters who will be familiar to fans of the series. With that said, you do wonder if the development team have forgotten what their former poster child was like, because the Phoenix of this game not only looks completely different (sporting an unfashionable beanie of all things) but he speaks and behaves in a way completely removed from the old character we came to love. In fact, the new protagonist behaves more like the old Phoenix than the character purporting to be him, which is quite the bizarre paradox. This gives you an idea of the kind of topsy-turvy universe the game is set in, where the formerly famous defence lawyer now plays professional poker and unprofessional piano in a seedy bar. Predictably, few characters in the game see this turn of events as remotely unusual.

Apollo Justice is also the first game in the series developed specifically for the Nintendo DS, rather than the Game Boy Advance, aside from the final bonus case in the DS port of the original Phoenix Wright. As you might expect, it borrows some of the nifty features from that case, including dusting for prints with the touch screen and microphone, and more interactive 3D evidence to manipulate and examine. The trouble is that these features are distinctly underused for the majority of the game and precious little else has changed in terms of gameplay mechanics. Actually, there is only one other change, but the jury is still out on it.

In the previous games you could use a spiritual device to break witnesses' secrets or 'psyche locks' as they were called. It was a clumsy and flawed process that I'd be quite pleased to see the back of if it had been replaced with something better, but unfortunately it hasn't. On paper, the replacement sounds great, but in practice it is far worse; you see, our new indistinct defence lawyer has the unique gift that he can 'perceive' when people are lying by their nervous ticks. If you suspect (in proscribed courtroom moments) that your opponent is lying, you can press the perceive button and the game slows down, the music and graphics go all swirly and you can zoom in on the character to search for their nervous twitch. If you find it there's a gratifying "Gotcha!" sound effect and you move onto the next section. Sounds great - but it isn't. The trouble is that the DS has rather small screens and the graphics of the series, though appealing, are not the most detailed in the world, making the search for the smallest twitch - like a character swallowing or twisting their ring a millimetre - an incredibly frustrating experience. At one stage I was forced into using a walkthrough and even after I'd done so, I couldn't tell what I'd drawn attention to! It becomes easier with practice and it's a neat idea, but for me it falls slightly flat and breaks up the momentum of the cases.

The stories in Capcom's legal universe have never been known for staying grounded in reality and while this is part of the series' charm, it does feel like it's being pushed a bit far here. Your new foil of a prosecutor is a world famous pretty boy rock star with a penchant for playing air guitar in the courtroom - and that, in this game's world, feels like the most natural thing in the world. He's also, for the record, the weakest lawyer in the game to date. The series has always had a succession of ruthless prosecutors, from Edgeworth to von Karma to Godot (with varying degrees of success) but Gavin here is not only young, pretty and loosely German (he uses the word "Herr" a lot), but actively nice! It doesn't feel the brutal cut and thrust of wits in the courtroom any more and the experience loses something as a result. Likewise, the script isn't quite as sharp and witty as the previous titles. I had a moment of comparison where I was playing though the first case in the third title recently and it made me laugh more times in two scenes than this edition managed in the first three cases. Perhaps this is because the former is based upon familiar characters, but there is definitely room for improvement in the writing of both Apollo Justice and his support cast.

More seriously, despite all the changes made to take advantage of the DS's awesomeness, Capcom have taken no steps to deal with the series' main problem - the fact that some of the puzzles are ambiguous and punish you for presenting a perfectly viable piece of evidence a bit too early in the case. You're left trying to reason with your DS, carefully explaining that if Apollo would just let you talk, you could reveal the contradiction long before the supporting cast finally catch up with him. Basically if you spot where the case is heading before the rest of the characters do, you just have to sit it out and slow your mental faculties down to their pace. Admittedly it's hard to see how these problems could be fixed, but it would be a temporary solution if the game stopped punishing you for legitimate answers and found a way of hinting that you need to prove another point first. But hey, I'm not a game designer.

It's not all doom and gloom though - the stories are still largely engaging, the dialogue raises frequent smiles and the satisfaction of working out a key puzzle is still as brilliant as ever. Also in keeping with the rest of the series, the music follows the action perfectly and is as effective and memorable as ever. I've long said that the midi music in the series is the best I've ever heard, and considering my fondness for the Transport Tycoon and Sim City games, this is no mean feat at all. But more crucially the music is emotional and atmospheric - and when you've been stuck on a puzzle for ages, cracking it to the rewarding yell of 'OBJECTION!' and the fast paced 'cornered' music really draws you into the game. The visuals have also been touched up a little, though the untrained eye will see no difference whatsoever for the majority of the title. Occasionally the game flexes its graphical muscle and produces a 3D animation, like the mock-up of a crime scene and the angles of where people would be standing and so forth, but for the most part it pays homage to its GBA heritage.

As much fun as Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is, it's just not the big leap forward that the series should have taken, as a number of little niggles conspire to lower the score slightly. The characters aren't quite as likeable (especially Gavin - by far the weakest prosecutor yet), the writing isn't quite as sharp and the stories aren't quite as good. But despite all these complaints, I must emphasise that the game is still a clearly part of the same wonderful series, which is still the only one that guarantees my DS will see consistent use for the one to two weeks until I finish the game. The new elements mostly work well and the graphical touch up is welcome, but it's not quite enough. As it stands, Apollo Justice is like a slightly weak episode in a consistently brilliant TV series - enjoyable, but just a slight letdown compared to what has come before. However, you can be sure that I'll still stay up late to watch the next episode.

Reviewed by Alan Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).