Mario and Sonic, two well known mascots from two well known companies finally make an appearance together to compete in a myriad of events selected from the modern Olympic Games. Nintendo and Sega's lead character is also supported by a handful of other popular characters from their respective series. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses and the same determination to rake in a bundle of medals from the Olympic Games.

As is to be expected from an Olympic based game, Mario and Sonic participate in many different events, each with interesting ways to play. I found that the depth and skill required for each game varied, as well as the fun factor. Some games played so simply and easily you wondered why you were even bothering to do it, others had a perfect balance of difficulty and fun. Then there is the dreaded 'this is easy up till the very last moment when one tiny mistake ruins the perfect run' game, also known as 'vault'.

The athletics grouping, with track and field events, has a nice mix of the simple and the boring. The track events are all virtually the same. Rub the stylus left and right as fast as you can to sprint the 100m, rub the stylus slightly slower to run the 400m, and rub the stylus then tap the screen to jump for the hurdles. Field events were slightly more complex, but equally as uninspiring. Mostly consisting of the same rub-to-run then draw a line to jump/throw depending on the event.

Gymnastics takes you to more of a 'dance dance revolution' type game. Trampoline has you jumping then executing commands with the stylus to do all sorts of fancy flips and twirls. The vault is slightly different; run up, jump off the launch pad and tap the numbers on screen from smallest to largest in a very short amount of time to impress the judges. Then you have to tap the ground for a perfect landing, messing this up takes your perfect 10 score down to something like 3. Just to add insult to injury, the vault consists of two runs averaging your scores to get the final. So not only do you have to try and hit that landing perfectly once, you have to do it twice, else risk scoring a measly 6/10. It is possible to stumble from your landing then correct yourself, but by the time you realize this you have already made an 'unsatisfactory' landing and have torn your score neatly into thirds.

It's not all bad though, in fact, that's all the bad there really is. Once you get past the first few boring games you hit the events that make Mario and Sonic shine. Archery and Shooting both require a good amount of skill and finesse. Fencing was difficult at first, but once you learned to read your opponents it became fluid and fun. My favourite of all is the Table Tennis. It is deep yet easy to play. It plays much like a mini version of Mario Tennis. You can hit straight or curve the ball either way. Timing the shots properly results in smashes. It feels so good to play that it could almost be a standalone DS game itself. Just when you think the game hit its peak you unlock the 'Dream Events'. These stray from the path of regular Olympic events and bring the surreal Mario feel back into things. These include a Mario Kart-esque running race, complete with items. A Table Tennis game with power shots. Shooting basket balls into moving hoops, and plenty more. Most of the Dream Games are very enjoyable, and give the Olympic title something extra. Though it takes a fair amount of time to unlock them. Also included is a trivia section, where players can play small games unrelated to the Olympics to find the answers to questions covering various Olympic topics.

One thing that got me concerned is the blue 'Nintendo wifi connection' sticker on the box. To me this indicates that I can play online against other people with the game. Any title that allows online play has this logo at the top of the box. However, after a brief search through the game, then through the manual, I found no such mode. Only the option to play against opponents within 10 metres (with or without their own game card). Games that have multiplayer modes that are local only, don't have this sticker. Personally I found this rather disappointing as I was looking forward to playing some of the more interesting games against humans. It is fair to assume that if a game is fun against computer opponents it will be equally as good, if not better, against humans. Mario and Sonic is presented well. The characters were animated well and the backgrounds felt very authentic. The announcer does a good job of making the events feel important, and the music fits in perfectly. The replays at the end of every game became annoying, but they are easily skipped so caused no real hassle.

Overall this is a solid title, especially considering it is a mini game title and usually I'm quite opposed to them. The good games far outweigh the bad, meaning once you complete the drab track and field you can have more fun playing the gems like Shooting, Archery and Table Tennis. The Dream events are also up there in the good, but take a fair amount of playing to unlock. It is all worth it though. The trivia adds another nice element to the game. Learning new things while playing a game is always good, especially when you are required to play something reasonably fun to reveal the answer.

If you like minigames and sport based games then this is definitely a title to pick up. If not, have a go anyway, as it is surprisingly enjoyable.