If you are a Tetris purist and expect the Russian themed graphics and very distinctive music of older Tetris versions, you might be a little put off with Tetris DS’ presentation. Substituted for the more traditional sights and sounds of the game are themes based on Nintendo games like Mario Bros. and Metroid. In some variations the Nintendo game themes are very noticeable. In others the Nintendo game graphics are happening on the upper screen while you’re concentrating on playing on the bottom screen. The music is all that consciously gives away the change. It is a cute idea, but I am not really sure it works that well.

In the end what you have with Tetris DS is just a very playable version of Tetris on your DS. The additional modes are fun for a little while, but I still found myself drawn back the standard mode that started it all. The addition of multiplayer modes is great but I predict it is only going to appeal to a limited number of players. While there is a lot more stuff crammed in the card, Nintendo left the core game intact and just as fun as ever. And since Nintendo had the good sense not to mess with the heart of the game, Tetris is in no danger of losing its crown as the king of kinetic-puzzle games on the DS either.