"In another age, elemental power is balanced among four great Nations: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. The people of each nation possess the ability to manipulate their native element.

"One alone is master of all four. He is the Avatar, a human bridge between the spirit and the physical worlds, the one destined to maintain world peace."—The Legend...

Avatar: The Last Airbender tells the story of a famous Airbender named Aang. He's the last of his kind, hence the game title. Aang was enclosed within an iceberg for 100 years, but is rediscovered as the Fire Nation attempts a global war. Their goal is to remove the Air, Earth, and Water nations so that the Fire Nation can rule the world. Aang and his friends, Sokka, Katara, and Haru are society’s final hope.

Built in an action/RPG environment, Avatar's gameplay style should be familiar to just about everyone. Remember Diablo? To this day it is still one of the most well-known games that uses an isometric view. The implementation of that view in Avatar is fair substitute for a straight-3D camera, something we haven't seen on the DS since the release of Mario 64. 

Combat is based on the usual action/RPG ingredients: lots of weapon attacks, simple one-two combos, and some specials to mix things up. Aang is the main character, but once his friends have been acquired, you can switch to any of them by touching their icon on the bottom screen.

Using the L and R buttons, players can spin the camera 360-degrees. On GameCube that doesn't mean much. But it's pretty impressive on the DS, a handheld that rarely sees the third dimension. And it's not just a graphical difference – the 3D locales are more immersive than what could have been achieved with older technology. Town buildings look great inside and out. Individual, less-repetitive textures keep things looking fresh. As a result, Avatar has a much broader feel than the average handheld RPG.

Enemies come in many different flavors, and with the exception of boss battles, all of them can be avoided. Avatar's combat is real-time, but its battles are conducted on a separate playing field similar to a turn-based RPG. Enemies lurk everywhere except for villages, which act as safe havens for item purchasing and mission debriefing. Outside of the villages' protective confines, you'll see enemies roaming the area in random and expected locations. Some areas can be cleared, but others will be re-stocked with enemies upon your return.  

To fight, do as you would in Chrono Cross and charge into the nearest foe. There does not seem to be any benefit for being the one who initiated the battle, nor is there a penalty if the enemy runs into Aang or one of his allies.

Every battle won earns EXP; every battle lost ends the game. After “game over,” you’ll have a shot at re-starting that battle from the beginning – a great feature when you're out of items, nowhere near a town, and can't protect your allies. Aang's teammates are not the smartest AI-controlled characters around. They'll dive right into the middle of three deadly adversaries, who will deplete their HP before you have a chance to manually pick them off. Switching characters doesn't always help. As you take charge of another, the one you were previously controlling is now in danger.

In between missions you'll be told to visit the nearest village, talk to the locales, and gain info on what you're supposed to do next. They'll tell you what you need to know, inform you of a touch screen mini-game (that's a cross between Checkers and Othello), and throw out an amusing line or two. 

The majority of the dialogue, however, isn't very entertaining. Town exploration is a bore. Navigation can be confusing with all the tall buildings, the angled camera view, and the camera's starting position for that locale. There were several times when I'd enter a new area and only be able to see a portion of my characters, and a few times when I could not see them at all.

Adjusting the camera alleviated this problem, but this is an issue that should've never occurred in the first place. The buildings should've been shorter, and the camera should have a clear, pre-set starting position for every area. That way no one gets confused – least of all the young, impatient kids who fall within Avatar's target market.

Gameplay: 6.9
Avatar presents some interesting (but previously seen) ideas, a decent combat system, good controls, and a 3D world with a movable camera. These are the building blocks of a great game, no doubt.

But to be truly great, you've gotta have long-lasting, non-repetitive fun. That's where this game misses the mark. Avatar spends too much time on character interaction. Just as the action starts to reach a high point, the mission is over, and it's on to more boring dialogue.

Graphics: 7.8
This game’s most impressive element, Avatar has some of the best 3D backgrounds seen on the DS.

Sound: 7.5
Ahhh, the soothing sounds of Asian warfare. Avatar’s soundtrack is made up of above-average compositions. The sound effects are all right, but the voice-overs (which there aren’t many of) are a bit scratchy. Most of the dialogue is displayed through text. Only a handful of the lines are funny – the rest are cheesy and not worth reading.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Being able to see enemies before combat ensues allows you to escape unwanted battles. But you’ll have to fight every battle in the game to get the most out of your party, and to have an easier time taking on the later, more difficult enemy assaults.

Concept: 6.9
Just another isometric action/RPG. The touch elements are very responsive, but do not offer anything to enhance the gameplay experience. Besides, item and character selection isn’t what the DS was made for, not when those functions could’ve been applied to a standard button. (Leaving the touch screen for something more appealing.)

Overall: 6.9
Avatar: The Last Airbender is worth renting if you're a diehard fan of the show (assuming you can find it. Few rentailers offer DS games). But you're better off with the GBA version – a game that spends more time on action and puzzles, and less time trying to re-tell a story the fans are already familiar with.