Clever utilization of the touchscreen adds a new dimension to this classic game of bubble bursting.
The game is the same as it has been for years: shoot your own bubbles at an advancing array of variously colored bubbles. Get 3 of the same color to link, and they fall away. Clear them all to advance to the next level, or watch your game end if they creep past an endline. Season with some special bubbles that often allow to save the day at the last minute, and you get this fun title.
The game utilizes the touchscreen well by allowing you to use the stylus to pull back a slingshot to fling your bubbles from the bottom touchscreen up to the top screen playfield. (Purists need not worry, as you can still use the controls on the DS to rotate an aiming device instead.) The tunes are jazzy enough, change up often enough, and are inoffensive enough, that you never feel the need to shut off the speakers. The 500 puzzles for puzzle mode will keep you busy for quite some time, with some devilishly tough to complete. The addition of both single and multi-card wireless play adds to the replayability.
The main negative is that if you get the wrong reflection off the screen, you can confuse red and orange, and grey and black, leading to you thinking you've got a match, when you've actually made things worse for yourself. You may also find the small screen occasionally makes it tough to line things up just right, and shooting a bubble into a gap at the far end of the top screen will take a bit of practice and patience.
The pure simplicity, and occasionally frantic pace, of the gameplay are what have made this series so addicting, and this version is no exception. The graphics are puzzle-game standard: not fantasic, but not awful. The sounds are a notch above, with a multitude of fanfares playing across the various levels. Multiple single and multi-player game modes, with a ton of puzzles to solve, keep the value high. Most people like having at least on "Tetris-y" title in their handheld library, and if you're only getting one, this should get serious consideration.