Once again I was pleasantly surprised when I reviewed another Pokemon game - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time for the DS. It is identical to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness except for some of the Pokemon that you will encounter.

In this game you are not a human controlling your Pokemon. You *are* a Pokemon. The story revolves around finding out why you are a Pokemon along with discovering the secrets of time and darkness. The type of Pokemon you will be is determined at the beginning of the game by answering questions. Then you can choose your partner. Your partner cannot be the same type of Pokemon that you are.
The game starts with you washed up on a beach with no memory of what happened or how you got there. It doesn't take long for your partner to show up and join your team. Your partner is just as important as you: if he dies in a battle, you both end up leaving the dungeon.

You will join a guild of Pokemon. This is where you will eat and sleep. The “save” spot is your bed. There will also be other places throughout the game. While at the guild, you will perform jobs that show up on the message boards. They are usually jobs where you rescue someone or find an item to deliver to someone. There are also outlaws that you must find in the dungeons. You will receive rewards for completing these tasks, along with leveling up your Pokemon.

If you fail in a dungeon, you will have to try again. However, don’t count on remembering where the stairs to the next levels were. The layout changes every time you enter a dungeon. While you are walking through the dungeon, a map will appear on the screen showing where you have been and where special items can be found. If you fail, you will lose all of your money and some of your items, but you will keep experience points (and level-ups) that you have gained. If you fail, you can use your wi-fi connection to send out an SOS mail to be rescued. Rescue notification messages can be received via PC or cell phone, so other players always know when someone is in trouble. If you are rescued by a friend, you will not lose any money or items.

Sometimes you will have more than your partner join you in the dungeons. At different times in your battles, some enemies will ask if they can join your team. You can then choose what to name them. If you have a total of 4 already in the dungeon, when one asks to join you, he will be sent to the guild. You can't always have extra team members; there are times when you and your partner will have to set out alone on an adventure.

The more tasks you complete, the more information you will learn about the mysteries of time, darkness, and who you are.

The game can be played using the buttons or stylus; you can choose whichever one you prefer. It is a one player game, and there is only one save game file. If you, or someone else, starts a new game, all the previously saved data will be lost.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is rated E for Everyone. However, there is a lot of reading required at times, giving a lot of information and moving the story along. For anyone that can handle a lot of reading and strategy, this game is worth picking up. It is very addicting and hard to put down.