Pilot Fox McCloud and his team are occupied with more worldly stuff after rescueing us all when suddenly a new enemy appears and wants to take over the universe. The story then gets nicely unravelled and you can even make choices that will lead to different missions and endings when replaying and choosing a different character. You won't need more than a handful of hours to get through this game though.

The gameplay is divided into two aspects. First you'll navigate your ship on some sort of strategic map so that you can take out your opponents or defend certain targets. Once there, a meeting with the opponents is arranged and the game will switch to a simple but action-filled 3D shooter where you have to shoot down a number of ships, get rid of a commando ship or intercept a cruise missile. Next to some more challenging boss fights the difficulty degree isn't too hard so expect a very simple arcade flight sim, not an advanced simulation.

You control your ship with the stylus and I must admit that it took me some time before I could appreciate that choice. Steering is done by moving over the screen, rolling by scratching and there's also some other things you can do by clicking on certain things. Positive point is that everything reacts very quick and precise so that it never gets too frustrating.

The graphics, in 3D, are quite good for the DS. Both the models and surroundings are nicely put on the screen and offer enough variation. Also the hand-drawn cut-scenes that tell the story have a charming touch. This makes it less disappointing that the dialogues weren't voiced. The rest of the music suits perfectly and is of very good quality.

Once finished with the campaign you can continue with up to four players online or against five friends at home without them needing another cartridge. Everything does remain very simple and you don't need to expect anything more spectacular.