You know, I had always thought Mario was abnormally short, but I guess Nintendo thought he wasn't short enough, because their latest Mario invention, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, has you not playing as Mario but instead simply guiding hundreds of small mini-Mario wind-up toys. It's a departure from 2004's Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the GBA, but a welcome one to be sure. Nintendo isn't content releasing a moderately improved sequel - but is it possible they've gone too far and potentially ruined a great series?

Mario continues to build his empire; no longer the humble plumber, despite wearing the uniform, he's overseeing the grand opening of his very own amusement park, dubbed Super Mini Mario World, along with long-missing Pauline, who hasn't been seen in twelve years since the original Donkey Kong on the Game Boy. Donkey Kong hasn't forgotten about her either... he's at the grand opening and he's got one plan to woo Pauline off her feet with his own Donkey Kong toy. He builds up the confidence, sucks in one final deep breath, makes sure his hairy gorilla muscles are at maximum flex and makes the approach. Pauline blows him off, shrugging him away like we simply shrug off the fact that she's been absent for twelve years and just suddenly returns. Mario didn't shrug off DK though - he saw it all and he stands there gloating with a smile on his face that would make the devil cower in fear. Rightfully so, Donkey Kong steals Pauline away to go talk in private, away from the glitz and most importantly, away from Mario and his deceptive ways. Mario can't stand this; it drives him crazy that someone else has a woman instead of him. How many do you need Mario? You've got Peach, Daisy, now you must have Pauline, too? Can't you share with Donkey Kong?

What? You mean I've misinterpreted the story? I don't think so! For some reason Mario vs. DK has you playing as the antagonist, namely Mario, throughout the entire game. You play as a guide for all his mini-Marios, who must make their way through the small floors of the amusement park in an attempt to steal back the only woman Donkey Kong has even loved. Mario loves three... what's next, Big Mario Pimpin' World?

The gameplay is a switch from the original Mario vs, Donkey Kong, which had you controlling Mario on side-scrolling based levels similar to the original Donkey Kong. DK2 instead works in a Lemmings style strategic environment, where players guide multiple minis by utilizing the touch screen controls. Dragging the stylus over a mini causes them to walk in a certain direction and you can command them to jump or stop by dragging up or tapping on them, respectively. There are various power ups for the mini Marios to collect along the way, giving them added abilities such as Donkey Kong hammers or Fire Flowers. Players can also control parts of the levels without the need of a mini Mario to interact with, such as laying bricks or removing them in an effort to help guide the characters to their destination.

Now, this is Nintendo we're talking about. With the exceptions of a few missed opportunities on the DS, they're generally very good at providing their games with lots of content to beef up the lifespan. Featuring eight different floors, each with nine levels, and a bonus floor to boot, Mario vs Donkey Kong 2 has plenty of levels for players to beat - and beat numerous times, thanks to a hard to achieve gold star rating - they get continually more difficult as you progress too, introducing new gameplay mechanics and harder puzzles.

It's an easy recommendation for fans of Lemmings, or any other character-based puzzle game. Players can expect some truly ingenious designs that make full use of the established Mario world and all the quirky characters and objects within it, such as warp pipes, Bullet Bills and even the swinging fireball obstacles that are as old as the original Mario Bros.; throw in some challenging boss battles and fun mini-games for added value and you've got real diversity. It's tough to say if you'll enjoy this simply based upon your enjoyment of the original MvDK, as it is very different, but it's definitely worth a shot and is particularly approachable for players who aren't familiar with this type of game, even including a help menu that adds new tutorials based on how far you've progressed.

Lots of levels isn't all you have when it comes to replay features; each level has a collectable letter card which - after gaining all nine per world - unlocks a new version of the mini-game mode. Furthermore, as I mentioned, getting the maximum star rating for each level is no easy task and of course has rewards, most of which are features for the Construction Mode. That's right - DK2 features a mode that allows players to not only create their own puzzles from scratch, but you can then upload your creations via your Nintendo WiFi Connection and allow players from around the world to try them out, a truly great feature that launches the replay value to unlimited potential.

DK2 really is a great game, yet it does have some aspects that might annoy players who are impatient. Some levels do require trial-and-error gameplay and with the relatively slow pace, mainly due to the speed at which the mini Marios walk, this can create some tedious experiences. There's also no multiplayer mode, although it would be hard to imagine what kind of mode could have been implemented; one thing this does do surprisingly well is control like a dream - control is incredibly important in this type of game and being able to pan the camera around the level with the d-pad and control the minis with the touch screen is really intuitive and easy, while the responsiveness of the touch screen is superb.

As for the graphics and sound, what can you say about a Nintendo game that hasn't been said before? Nintendo know their own hardware and, like Metroid Prime Hunters, have included some superb movie sequences complete with full voiceovers and great narration. The colorful cel-shaded graphics (don't worry, it's very subtle cel-shading), backdrops of the worlds and animations are all signature Nintendo and the sound has had plenty of care put into it so that each little object on the puzzles has a distinct sound effect, with music that matches the world's theme to a tee. At first glance this appears to be something that could have looked just as good on the GBA, but the gently applied background layers that all scroll separately, fluid animations and the lack of any slowdown at all even during hectic times puts that to rest.

Nintendo have done a phenomenal job trying to appeal to everybody with this strictly strategic game and as such, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis really shows off the true abilities and appeal of the DS. The gameplay is great fun and varies throughout with new themes, changing obstacles and introducing great new abilities for the minis at a carefully planned and gradual pace. It looks great, it sounds great and the WiFi functionality is a wonderful surprise that we're only used to seeing on the PSP - Nintendo has shown why the DS is a great piece of hardware by re-imagining a truly classic genre. It's just a shame that players have to stamp on poor DK's heart yet again and help out that ruthless Mario!

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