Super Princess Peach

Mario may be twenty-seven years old, but not even age can prevent the bearded plumber from effortlessly losing his beloved princess in countless generic castles operated by arch nemesis Wario & Co. With this in mind, it came as a huge surprise to pick up a copy of Super Princess Peach and discover gender role reversal of the pocket-sized sort.

Though the daintily clad princess may look like she farts butterflies, her heart is most certainly set on destroying enemies all and sundry. Her methods are unique, to say the least. Utilising the DS’s touch screen, the user can force her into various moods which invoke a specific reaction. For example stabbing your stylus at the sad-faced heart will cause Ms. Peach to break down in a flood of tears, particularly useful for aiding beanstalk growth. "Rage" will reduce her to what I can only describe as a bout of PMS so heated it will burn bridges. Literally.

Undoubtedly there are times when déjá vu confirms the remarkably similar properties to New Super Mario Bros, albeit with a slightly more feminine touch. Enemies are defeated by a simple whack of an umbrella, rather than fireball shots. Puzzles and minigames have also been included to urge the user onward, as well as offering a rather pleasant diversion which makes ample use of the touch facility, a feature surprisingly abandoned or forgotten by a great many developers. You won't find any award-winning music either; suffice it to say it flows chirpily as you make your way through the bright and colourful obstacles.

The endless shades of pink (really, I never knew there could be so many shades of the same colour) could easily put off the chain-smoking, muscle-building, beer-belching manly-man from purchasing this title, though I would suggest discarding all sexist opinions in favour of the game play, which surely makes up for those large black eyes you will suffer from the local bully.

Super Princess Peach may look as cute as a dwarf hamster covered in rainbow sprinkles, but don’t be fooled; beneath the demure exterior lies an air of gritty challenge. You may not find this little gem as enticing or satisfying as some of the classic Mario titles, but for a change of the usual plumber-rescues-princess storyline, it is certainly worth a visit (or ten).