Sega Touch Darts - Nintendo DS review

Full Review

Darts; a sport dominated by fat men in social clubs up and down the country drinking pints of beer and eating pork scratchings. Not your average Nintendo DS game then? Well according to Sega it is.

"Get into the crazy and wonderful world of Touch Darts" says the back of the box and we aren't sure either can be said about the game.

Based over a series of tournaments or challenges you get to control your dart throwing capabilities by stroking the screen and letting go at the right time to throw your dart. Let go too soon and the dart doesn't go as far (i.e., lower than your marker) let go too late and it goes higher and that's about it. Score 20s every time and the only variation is that you'll need a double to win. Excited yet?

To try and break up the monotony of the tournament games, the boards colours change depending on where you are (tournament locations range from the bedroom to the garden shed) and there is also a challenge arena where you can play games like around the clock that involve you having to get each number consecutively.

Verdict

Fun for about 3 minutes before the boredom sets in, it soon becomes clear why darts isn't on television anymore. The gameplay is repetitive, the soundtrack worthy of any men's club, ie dull and the graphics basic.

Getting a dart in the eye might be more fun.

• Comment on this story for your chance to win a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe