CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has about as many spin-offs Happy Days did, albeit more adult-oriented in content. The DS seems almost custom-made for the popular mystery show, following most mystery games with a point-and-click approach. As a rookie investigator, you use the tools of the trade to be a modern Sherlock Holmes, examining the evidence, questioning suspects, and running evidence through the computer to check it against existing criminal records. Well, OK, Holmes didn't have a computer.

The game offers a different take on a tutorial system. It opens by introducing you to your colleagues, those who will be helping you examine the evidence. Through these introductions, you learn what different options you have in exploring the evidence. Also, throughout the game, you can get a hint from your partner, but doing so will impact negatively on your final score, so only use them if you're absolutely stumped, which will probably happen at some point.

Because it's simply a point and click adventure, control is easy enough for anyone able to hold a stylus. By dragging the stylus around the screen, you find points to interact with, and the shoulder buttons and d-pad cycle through menus to review the gathered evidence and get more tutorial information.

As you progress through a case, the clues get more difficult to find, and the tips get less helpful, so you may find yourself randomly trying instruments on different locations and pieces of evidence. Make sure you have your screen brightness turned up so you can see things like skid marks in the corner of the screen, and make sure you move your stylus slowly, or you might miss a clue. Once you complete one case, others open up.

The dialog is lively, with little jokes about coffee and Elvis thrown in. The game is rated T because of the violent crime situations and some of the dialog, pretty much what you'd find in an episode of CSI or maybe a bit cleaner.

This game will appeal most to mystery fans with lots of patience and deductive reasoning. Young teens may enjoy the game, but the difficulty may frustrate them. I know I got stumped a few times, but the difficulty also gives a good sense of accomplishment, even if you've used the hints.