Computer game review
Nintendo DS
Release date Out now

A computer game version of Top Trumps for one or two players…

Top Trumps, as everyone is probably already aware, is a well-established card game along the lines of ‘Beggar My Neighbour’ where the aim is to steal all of your opponent’s cards. In real life the game has a school playground quality that the DS version lacks: surely the fun of playing any sort of cards is in the interaction rather than the gameplay itself?

So the big question, of course, is does it work as a computer game? After all Top Trumps doesn’t exactly have the most complex rules. The basic gameplay in the DS version exactly replicates that of the card game, so it’s easy enough to start playing without having to resort to any manual. In addition to the straightforward game there is an adventure version that adds a few neat bells and whistles that vary the format a little. The more you play the more special cards you can acquire, which makes the game a little more interesting.

That said, it really does seem hard to lose to the computer when playing in one-player mode – but then this is aimed at younger players. Still, the whole adventure game can be easily cracked in a few hours (though there are some other side games that can stretch it all out a little). It also gets a bit tedious when the computer is on a winning streak, since there is nothing to do except watch and wait – even kids might get annoyed at this point (at least with a real opponent you can attempt to psych them out).

As compensation there is a two-player mode, but this does require two people with two DS consoles and two versions of the game in close proximity. Might as well play with cards then! But when all’s said and done, this should have a novelty value for kids. Brigid Cherry

VERDICT: 6/10
This replicates the card game with a few embellishments, but it might not have a very long afterlife.