Yoshi! Those lovable, multi-colored dinosaurs are back for more babysitting hi-jinks in Yoshi's Island DS, a sequel to the much loved Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance title, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Failing to hold Baby Luigi captive, the evil Magi-Koopa Kamek has decided to expand her horizons and just steal every infant she can lay her hands on, including Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Wario and Baby Donkey Kong. The classic 2D platforming, egg-shooting action that Nintendo perfected over ten years ago is brought back for the DS, complimented by new baby-based puzzles that has each of the Nintendo babies granting Yoshi access to their unique skills. The gameplay may stand the test of time, but the hand-me-down presentation doesn't - and it's the only thing keeping Yoshi's Island DS from achieving the greatness that is in its genes.

Yoshi's Island DS is about as direct a sequel as a game can be, much unlike the majority of Mario sequels. Gameplay starts with the familiar formula - controlling Yoshi, you must get from point A to point B, shooting eggs, defeating enemies, collecting items and protecting the baby on your back from harm. The presentation is still firmly set in its SNES roots, with vibrant, crayon-colored backgrounds and friendly character design that's complimented by a mixture of happy-go-lucky tunes and silly sound effects. To even further the sense of déjà vu for return players, the level selection screen is even the same leaderboard as it was in the first game!

None of this retreading is technically detrimental to the game though, as intuitive gameplay like this never dulls. However, the just ever so slightly above GBA quality presentation, while still maintaining a sense of nostalgic allure, disappoints. New Super Mario Bros. raised the bar for what fans expect from Nintendo in terms of presentation on their own system, so to backtrack is a huge letdown. The DS is capable of creating backgrounds with greater depth, smoother and more varied animations, more expansive, in-depth "Mode 7" effects and more organic music; it really hurts to see Nintendo continue to pump out GBA-quality presentation while other companies exploit the power of the system that Nintendo created.

Yoshi's Island DS detours into undiscovered territory on the gameplay front though, adding three other babies to the mix, each with their own special skills. Baby Mario, the returning infant, can turn block silhouettes into "M" blocks and allows Yoshi to run, as well as bounce his eggs off of walls. Baby Peach, who also gives the power of egg bouncing, has an umbrella that allows Yoshi to soar when under a gust of wind. Baby DK's weight slows down Yoshi, but he more than makes up for it with exploding eggs and jungle-climbing abilities. Finally, Baby Wario carries a magnet that pulls coins in, as well as moving anything metal towards him.

The new babies crack open Yoshi's Island in a brand new ways, thanks to a brilliant set of level designs. They may begin slowly, but the levels quickly ramp up in difficulty, growing larger and more in-depth as they go. Creativity abounds once you gain access to more than just Baby Mario, as every level from there on out asks you to pick the right baby for the job. While you can only have one baby active at a time, by finding a stork landing pad, you can swap out with any other baby you have rescued. This not only allows for earlier levels to continue to hold secrets that can only be unlocked when you have the right baby, but it also means that multiple babies' skills can come into play in any one level. One moment you're soaring around with Baby Peach and the next you're climbing vines with Baby DK, then you're running from spikes as Baby Mario. There are even levels that have different routes, each tailored to a different baby!

The levels shine as 'start to finish' endeavors, but indulge in the secrets they hold, as Yoshi's Island blossoms into an incredible adventure. At the end of each level you are given a score between 1 and 100, based on your ability to complete a level with 30 stars, 5 flowers and 20 red coins. This is a very straightforward task at first, as the necessary items are never too far from plain sight or easily discovered areas. That doesn't last long though, as the awesome level design comes into play, hiding everything deeper and deeper within itself, making the perfect completion of each level extremely addicting. That is not even mentioning the baby coins - one per level - that not only have to be found, but then you have to have the right baby active for them to even appear!

What do you get for your hard work in perfecting each level, you ask? You only unlock a secret level for each perfected world! Each of these levels is of greater complexity and difficulty than those normally found in the game, giving the gamers willing to earn them a satisfying, challenging reward. Other rewards throughout the game include unlockable mini-games, each of which have an unlockable hard mode, as well as a time trial mode, which unlocks another set of secret levels. Those who felt the lack of extras in New Super Mario Bros. are greeted by the soothing touch of bountiful lasting appeal here.

Yoshi's Island DS goes a long way to showing us why 2D games still are relevant in a 3D world, as smooth, addictive gameplay and innovative, thoughtful level designs can trap any gamer in its claws for hours on end. I only wish that Nintendo would wake up and smell the coffee brewing at other developers' headquarters though, as the GBA/SNES presentations that have been plaguing the majority of their games are just not cutting it any more. Not every game will play as magically as Yoshi's Island - and once that ball is dropped, the tolerance for mediocre graphics will not last.

Reviewed by Tony Peters for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).