For those of you out there who have never played any of the Pokemon games, and were maybe a little curious, let me say this: There has never been a better time to get into Pokemon than with this title. But if you're someone who picked up Pokemon Diamond or Pearl for the DS, you'll have to ask yourself if the extras are worth it.

Pokemon has been a staple of my game library for the last ten years, since I was first introduced to the world of "Pocket Monsters" while part-time teaching kindergarteners at a private school. The "cool" teachers knew their Pokemon, and my wife picked me up a copy of Pokemon Yellow for my birthday. I was totally hooked. Since then, I've played each generation that's come out - that's five generations of Pokemon games, and the latest group is the best of the form.

For those of you who have never played, Pokemon is a tactical RPG that features your character as a "trainer", wandering your island home gathering Pocket Monsters, or Pokemon, by battling them and capturing them with a "Poke-ball". You can carry up to six at a time, swapping them out at local Pokemon Centers, which also allow you to heal up your merry band. Pokemon gain experience and levels as they battle and knock out other Pokemon, sometimes learning new attacks, sometimes evolving into new forms.

The "Gotta Catch 'Em All" mantra comes from the fact that each version of Pokemon allows you to catch only certain Pokemon, with each title having certain creatures unique to it. That means that if you want to complete your Pokedex (an in-game encyclopedia that catalogs all the Pokemon you've captured), you have to find someone with the "other flavor" of Pokemon and trade with them. Past versions meant having to hook up with cables, which could be a pain, but the wireless capabilities of the Nintendo DS means that trading in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum is a breeze. As is battling. And the DS versions of Pokemon allow you to play with friends over Nintendo WiFi. That means I can pass a friend a Regigigas as a trade even though I'm in Texas, and he's in Pennsylvania. The DS microphone allows voice chat as you're trading/battling with friends over WiFi. Parents will want to be aware of that feature, but also aware that in order to connect in WiFi, the players will have to exchange "friend codes", otherwise it's going to be pretty lonely in that WiFi Plaza.

The games look great, and there's a fairly deep strategy element to gameplay, as each Pokemon has one or two "types", which gives them an advantage or a disadvantage depending on what they're facing. Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water, Water beats Fire, and so on. Each Pokemon may learn new attacks as they level up, but they can only "remember" four at a time, so after a certain point, trainers have to weigh their options carefully as to which moves they want to keep, and which they want to replace.

And I still haven't mentioned Pokemon Contests (it's Westminster for Pokemon!), ribbon collecting, berry raising, poffin baking, or any of a host of other aspects to this title. There's something here for everyone, but of course, the main gameplay is the Pokemon battling.

Now, all of this is de rigeur if you've played the earlier games. What's new in this version?

First, there are no new Pokemon per se in Platinum. There are, however, new forms of existing Pokemon. Specifically, if you picked up a Shaymin in the recent Toys 'R Us events, that will change forms upon being traded into Pokemon Platinum. Also, a new form of the legendary Ghost/Dragon Pokemon Giratina is the legendary Pokemon in this game.

Next, Platinum includes a Battle Frontier with new challenges that aren't included in Diamond/Pearl.

Finally, there's a new Wi-Fi plaza that supports up to 20 people (!) in an online session.

Add a slightly tweaked story, some new environments, and the ability to change your Rotom's shape with a secret key (to be distributed over Nintendo Wi-Fi connection at some future date), and all the gameplay that comes in a regular Pokemon game, and you've got over 100 hours worth of content. But it's really not all that different from the prior Diamond/Pearl titles. If it's your first visit to Pokemon, or your first Pokemon title for the DS, I'd highly recommend Platinum. If you've already got Diamond/Pearl, there's not a lot new here, but completists will want it if for no other reason than the new Pokemon forms.

One last note: Apparently, Pokemon Platinum does not currently work with the Wii-Ware title, Pokemon Ranch, so be advised. I was a little disappointed, but that's a pretty small problem for what is still a fantastic game.