Who would have ever suspected that Nintendo's "killer app", as they say, for the struggling DS handheld, would be a puppy simulator? And then who would have thought that it would actually work and become a hit?! Originally developed for the Gamecube, nintendogs lets you raise a number of different puppies via the touch screen and microphone. There isn't a real story to speak of, it's simply a simulator that allows you to take in and nurture a cute little puppy. They never grow old and you can't breed them; they can't get sick or die, either, but they may run away!

The appeal of nintendogs is massive. Almost anybody could and probably will enjoy it even, if they find the concept of a giant Tomagatchi repulsive. It shouldn't be a secret why the game is doing so well really... people who don't own puppies figure that the next best thing is a virtual puppy that acts just like the real thing. This can translate to all ages - and people who do own one may want to try their hand at raising another breed, without actually buying another pup.

So, what exactly do you do in nintendogs? All sorts of things... but first things first - this is not a game you can sit and play all day. In fact, you'll probably only play it for fifteen or twenty minutes at a time. However, there will be a lot of those twenty-minute sessions in one day. Whenever I even begin to sense that I'm getting bored or want something different to do, I can reach over and take my dog for a walk, hopefully even finding rare presents and items along the way. I can enter competitions to try to earn money that goes towards a new puppy or even a new house. Plus, there are essential things like food, water, and toys that the dog needs, as well as the basic care of grooming him and just giving him attention.

One of the most appealing aspects of nintendogs is of course the unique way of interacting with your dogs. I don't see how it would have worked on the Gamecube as originally planned, because everything from the menus to each and every gameplay element is controlled with the touch screen. While this is not uncommon for the DS, there's just something adorable and irresistible about playing with your little puppy by actually touching him.

With the stylus you can rub them, pet them, bathe them, irritate them - pretty much anything you want. Holding the stylus on the pup's nose results in him sniffing it and, possibly, licking it. Training your dog would be impossible without the stylus, as you have to first get your dogs to do the trick without the command. Patting his head and gently rubbing it downwards will make him sit and continuing this makes him lie down. You can get your dog to roll over, spin, jump, dance and do all sorts of adorable things, simply by moving the stylus in a certain direction on his body, as if you were helping him along with your own hand.

All the toys are used as if you were standing in front of your puppy with the toy. A quick fling up the screen tosses a frisbee, while spinning the stylus in circles whilst holding a pull rope teases him to jump for it. Do it while he has actually got hold of it and he'll spin around the room in mid air and if you suspend it in the air then he'll hangs from it. There are numerous other ways to use the stylus to interact with your puppy on screen, all of which are a ton of fun. Like taking walks - you can tug the leash to get him to avoid eating garbage, or perhaps to get him to stop and grab a present that went by (though chances are it's an item you already have.) Pulling the rope forwards makes the puppy run along the sidewalk and further tugs cause him to jump through the air like a stallion.

There are three types of competition to enter and to keep things fresh, you can only enter three competitions per day. The disc throwing trial tests your puppy's ability to run out into a huge field and catch a frisbee, agility sees him or her running through that classic assortment of high jumps, tubes and seesaws, while the obedience trial - probably the most gruelling of them all - challenges you to tell your dog to perform various tricks, the selection of which changes every time you enter the competition. The agility course is the only area I wish had been done differently, although I'm not sure it could have been. Your puppy runs through the course but it's up to you to lead him by tapping the stylus in the right direction. Tap it on the high bars to get him to jump over them and so on. It mostly works fine but sometimes you'll have trouble getting your pup to move in the right direction if he's already off course. It just isn't a lot of fun and definitely is the low point of all the stylus interaction; everything else is a pure joy.

Voice support plays a huge role in nintendogs; for starters, you have to name your puppy and then give it a voice call that it answers to. Whistling also works here; however, if you speak, your puppy will recognise your voice and only your voice. Furthermore, when your puppy performs certain tricks you have a few seconds to call out anything you like in an attempt to train him. After doing it multiple times, he'll learn to do the trick on command, which is really amusing if you decide to belch into the DS after he does a specific action. The DS plays back whatever you say into it as well, so if your dog doesn't understand, you'll probably be able to hear why.

The voice recognition works surprisingly well, much better than other games have fared in the past and it can work almost flawlessly if you're in the right conditions, which should consist of very little background noise. Sure, there are times when your puppy either ignores you or does a different trick and sometimes it's not as much your fault as it is your puppy's; it takes time for a puppy to understand exactly what you want him to do.

In another attempt to prolong the overall game experience, you can only teach your dog three tricks a day, similar to how you can only enter three competitions a day or go on a walk every thirty minutes. At first I was a bit irked by Nintendo's decision to not let us play the game as we want, but it really is for the better, because it helps the experience last a lot longer. I honestly couldn't wait to wake up the next day and teach my dog how to break dance! Later on in the game you can own up to three dogs and have additional dogs in what's called the Dog Hotel, where you can swap them in and out with your pups. Having three dogs in your household really gives you a lot more to do in one day (since you can do three competitions and learn three tricks for each dog each day) and definitely helps the game last longer not only overall but also in terms of how much you play in one day.

Walking your dog is an essential aspect of the game. Not only does it keep your pup active and happy, but you can also him to parks to test his acrobatics and disc catching skills, meet with other dogs and find presents. Oh, and it lets him relieve himself too! Before each walk, you plot out a path of the village and there are actually some pretty nice sights to see. It's all side scrolling but the background changes from houses to beaches to mountains and so on. Once again though, you're limited to one walk per half hour (for only that particular dog, however.)

nintendogs may fool some people going to pick up the game when they see three different versions, which are Lab & Friends, Chihuahua & Friends and Dachshund & Friends. The thing is, none of them differ at all, other than which five dogs are available to you from the start. Eventually, when you acquire enough training points, you'll unlock all fifteen breeds and maybe even a few bonuses. Outside of the dogs' appearances, there isn't much difference when it comes to breeds, but there are a number of different personalities that you can get for your dog, ranging from rowdy hard to tame dogs or calmer, gentle pups.

One of nintendogs' greatest charms is the same one that made Animal Crossing so addictive; as you take walks, you'll often stumble upon new items, some of which are incredibly rare. The best kinds of items are definitely the toys though, especially the rope based toys that you can try to have your dog jump over or chase around the room. The real joy in searching for items is hoping that you find a brand new toy to play with your dog with. From hats to sunglasses and bow ties to many kinds of objects you can throw, there is a lot out there to find and sell. You'll want as much money as you can get, especially when upgrading your house is not cheap and buying food and milk is essential (unless you want a really upset dog, where you run the risk of it running away.) There's a lot to get in nintendogs and Nintendo has made certain that you can't do it quickly, at least not until you own more than one dog.

The graphics are what you've come to expect out of the DS's 3D capabilities. Scenery looks average and people - when they actually show up - are usually cut outs in the background. The real standout in the graphics is the great animations for the puppies, which is spot on and full of charm. The way they stand up and dance is downright adorable and you can usually tell what kind of mood they're in depending on how they act. Nintendo really nailed the likeness of puppies around the world here and you'll be amazed by how realistically your dog acts and moves. Even better in my eyes is the sound, however. Not only is the music great (and full of Italian influences that help create a great atmosphere) but there is some excellent ambience whilst in various areas such as your house. In the background you can hear the muffled sounds of cars passing by, birds outside and sometime sirens down the road, at which point your dogs howl along with them! Sound also plays a big role in telling how happy (or mad) your dog is.

Still, nintendogs doesn't offer a lot to do in one day for new players. It's definitely a game to play casually when you need to pass a bit of time, but don't expect to be addicted to it like you may have been to Animal Crossing. Having your own virtual pup is a lot of fun if you're into these kind of simulators (being a huge Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing nut, I was a shoe in) and there certainly is a lot to collect and do, especially when it comes to training your dog and entering competitions. Nintendo took a risk by severely limiting how much you can do in a day and although I appreciate their attempt to extend the life of the game, it really hurts it when it comes to your daily intake and I can think of plenty of times where I would have liked to play it a bit more in one day. However, this is much less of a problem when you own three dogs and you'll probably begin feeling overwhelmed when it comes to deciding who to play with and making sure they all get proper treatment. nintendogs is definitely unique, even if it does seem like a giant Tamagotchi . For those who like their handhelds on the go and just want a quick blast of something simple, this game is absolutely the perfect solution and is cute, charming and addictive to boot.

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