Traditionally board games have never translated that well to computers. Given the choice between running amok with Metroid Prime: Hunters and spending all day taking enemy pawns en passant, most normal gamers would lean heavily towards the former. That said, you probably didn't buy your DS to play normal games, did you? Enter the 4-in-1 "fun pack" from Atari then, creatively entitled Monopoly/Boggle/Yahtzee/Battleship; four traditional board games translated onto the digital screen (or in this case, screens). But have Atari made the leap from board to computer a smooth one?

There is simply no such thing as a person who's never played Battleship, so it's a good place to start. A simple game, Battleship has had countless conversions to computer. The difference here is that DS has allowed Atari to create a touch-based version of the game. Setting up your fleet is a simple drag and drop experience and firing is achieved by a double tap on the relevant quadrant, or the option to aim via the d-pad. The game is simple, straightforward and, well, a bit dull. The huge firing area and small fleet, combined with a lack of any real strategy doesn't really make for exhilarating play. Battleship offers a number of different ship styles (like Viking, pirate or space-age) with cute enough graphics, but is otherwise every bit as dull as it sounds. It's good for a little diversion but thank Odin there're three other titles available on the same cartridge.

Yahtzee is, well… Yahtzee, a game that uses six dice and a simple scoring sheet. It translates surprisingly well to the DS, thanks to the touch screen. Selecting dice to keep and areas in which to score is very easy and the interface is uncluttered. Simple and intuitive, Yahtzee has the exact same downfall as Battleship; it might keep you busy for a few minutes but unless you're a big fan of the board game, don't expect to be drooling at the mouth for more Yahtzee DS.

Then there were two. Boggle is the third offering, a game that challenges the player to find as many words in a grid as possible in three minutes. Boggle is Boggle - there's nothing here that breaks the rules or discovers new frontiers, but I have a serious addiction to this version. Again, the DS touch screen makes it so very simple to play; just tap out the letters of each word with a double tap on the last letter, or touch and drag the stylus over the necessary letters and release when done. I have to admit I've always enjoyed Boggle and likewise enjoy this version, but if you're not interested in word games, you'll not find anything intriguing here. Battleship for Battleship fans, Yahtzee for Yahtzee fans, and yes, Boggle for Boggle fans.

Which leaves Monopoly, the most ambitious project on the cart. A much more complex game, unlike the others Atari had a lot of scope to stuff this one up. Luckily they didn't… much. The cute graphics and easy-to-use trading system are a very nice touch over other digital versions of monopoly, but there are just too many basic problems with the way the game is implemented. This is a shame too, because the touch screen capabilities of the DS could have made for a brilliant conversion.

Yet I cannot forgive these problems. For example, even on the lowest difficulty, I couldn't get any computer players to trade over the third property in a set for cash. Furthermore, when I did have a set, I couldn't buy any houses because every time I tried the computer opened up bidding at the highest price for the house - I'm pretty sure that's not in the rules. Atari really puts the boot in by setting up dozens of neat gameplay options but then forcing you to use the American-named version of the board. Just a few more bytes of code and at the least I could use the familiar English street names. It's like dangling food in front of a starving man before snatching it away. Such promise and potential, and Atari never realises it. It gives me the feeling that Atari was in a bit of a rush to get to the deadline on this one.

The final straw is the multiplayer modes. Like many other games, you can download this one into other DS systems through the wireless connection and play using only one cart. I wouldn't recommend it though, since along with no sound, you'll find that you have to download each game every single time you play. Just the option to play again without having to restart is all we're asking for Atari - what have we done to offend you?! Now we spend more time downloading Boggle than playing it.

All in all, if you can get it cheap or steal it from a kid in a lower grade, then Monopoly/Boggle/Yahtzee/Battleship is a reasonable diversion for a few minutes, especially if you have a particular love for one or more of those games. For all but Monopoly, the translation to digital has been handled very well, and the speed and simplicity of play allows for pretty good replay value. Unfortunately, these were never the most exciting games and with a host of absorbing, entertaining and unique games available on the DS, this is definitely for hardcore fans only.

Reviewed by Steven Rosenthal for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).