Fans of the series will most likely enjoy all that Harvest Moon offers - a relaxed, laid back game that sucks up a lot of your time, but offers a rewarding experience.

Harvest Moon DS is the latest game in the franchise, bringing some new gameplay additions to the series. Nintendo’s flagship handheld is being utilised for what it does best – touching.

For the uninitiated, Harvest Moon is a farming game. The game puts you in charge of controlling a farmer as he works the land and interacts with other members of the Forget-Me-Not Valley and the animals themselves. As well as farming, you can design and buy objects for your farmhouse.



Now if this sounds like it would put you to sleep, you might be right. This kind of game is not for everybody. But those with a lot of patience and a laid back attitude will find the game rewarding and fun.

The interface on the DS is different to the other handhelds and the consoles. The traditional overhead view is displayed on the upper screen in the regular fashion. The bottom screen is used to interact with animals (you can shear sheep with the stylus, for example) and generally control the game. This is also where conversations with other characters will take place, showing a large view of the two parties.

In terms of content, Harvest Moon DS is a new game, though the premise is the same. A new kind of character is introduced, the Kurubok. These are collectible creatures, the locations of which are hinted at on a TV screen in the game.

Long time fans of the series will want to pick up Harvest Moon DS if they have a DS already. And new fans will surely be won over by the cute and innocent gameplay. The release date has just been pushed back to September 12, so be sure to check it out.

Preview by Gavin Manley.