Since Nintendo found they had a surprise mega-hit on their hands with the Brain Training series, third party publishers have flooded the handheld market with attempts to steal Dr Kawashima’s title as the king of mind-bending puzzle compilations. As is so often the case in these situations, the pretenders to the crown failed to live up to the original, and so it is that Nintendo return with a new take on the puzzle genre, this time developed by Level-5. Gone are the graphs, charts and daily progression and in comes a plot-driven graphic adventure that’s as charming as it is frustratingly addictive.

The game begins via a wonderfully animated movie sequence with full voice acting explaining that the (ahem) legendary puzzle-solver, Professor Layton, and his young apprentice Luke, are visiting the strange village of St Mystere in order to investigate the death of a wealthy baron who has left clues to a hidden fortune in his will. As you probe the secrets of the village, its inhabitants will constantly ask that you solve puzzles for them - some you will be able to walk away from, others have to be completed in order to progress.

The tasks range from simple ‘spot the difference’ games to infuriatingly hard matchstick puzzles, along with a myriad of other challenges of varying difficulty. Hint coins can be found scattered about the village and these can be exchanged for help if you’re getting particularly vexed by a troubling riddle. On top of these puzzles, which form the ‘bread and butter’ of the game, are the overlying mysteries surrounding the late Baron Reinhold and his wife, along with the dark and foreboding tower that lies at the heart of St Mystere.

It’s a very compelling adventure, if a little convoluted. The number of times a villager will stop you in the street to ask for help on a puzzle they’re struggling with seems a little higher than would normally occur in real life, but if you can accept that every twist and turn in the game is simply an excuse to link together the next series of mind benders then you’ll remain satisfied with the quest.

The game is very well presented, with the style of a Tin Tin cartoon mixed with Manga animation. The voice acting can be a little hammy but is still a welcome inclusion and the musical score adds the perfect balance of mystery and light heartedness to accompany the feel of the game. The touch-screen of the DS is used to great effect, both to explore the village itself and when puzzle solving. Indeed, the game is completely driven by the touch screen, which shows off the potential for more graphic adventures on the console. Let’s hope Nintendo picks up on this fact and we get to see some classic Day Of The Tentacle-type games sooner rather than later.

Overall, Professor Layton delivers a fun and intriguing puzzle-driven adventure which anyone who has ever bought a puzzle book to accompany them on a long journey will enjoy. With over 130 riddles to unravel, this should provide even the most capable brainiacs with around 15-20 hours’ worth of gameplay, and replay value continues in the form of a weekly downloadable puzzle via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. In fact, the only negative points I can find with this title are that the pacing can be a little slow and it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. There are going to be occasions when your DS has you stumped and you’ll want to throw it at the nearest solid object in total, primal frustration. The satisfaction in overcoming these difficulties more than makes up for it to those who can think their way through the sadism, but if you aren’t a fan of puzzles, this won’t change your mind. If, on the other hand, you like your old grey matter to be tested, Professor Layton and the Curious Village is the new benchmark all other DS puzzlers will have to compare themselves to.