Though it may seem to the uninitiated observer that Bakugan must surely be the next Pokemon-wannabe to follow in the fine tradition of Digimon, Spectrobes, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, this game is the real deal. If you haven't seen it for yourself, this craze is sweeping the globe.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers is based on this hit card/board game, in which small plastic balls loaded with magnets are rolled across a board with metal cards on it that are strategically placed by players. When one of the balls rolls across one of the metal cards, the magnets activate and the ball unfolds in the shape of a monster. This is your Bakugan. In essence, it's a lot like an elaborate, self-activating poke-ball.

If a player lands two Bakugan on a single card, that card is theirs. However, if the player and an opponent both land one Bakugan on the card a battle ensues - the winner takes the card. The object of Bakugan is to win three cards.

The "Gate cards" (the cards placed on the board, which players fight over) all possess special powers that can alter the way a battle plays out. Usually strengthening certain types of enemies. Part of the strategy of this game is to make sure your deck is specifically prepared so that the Bakugan you bring into battle are complemented by the Gate Cards you intend on putting down. That way you'll hold an advantage in all of your contests.

The game isn't entirely strategy though. After choosing their card and Bakugan, players then have to launch their Bakugan onto the field of play, rolling it around with the DS touch screen, and still make sure that they can land it on their card. Otherwise you can miss entirely and lose a turn, or you could land it on an opponents card, forcing you to fight them under their card's rules, placing you at a disadvantage.

The concept seems fun and strategic, but the reality is that the game has some very real issues. For starters, when two players land on a card and a battle happens, the extent of the battle consists of the player rubbing the touch screen as fast as possible or doing some other task that's completely irrelevant to the fact that giant monsters are fighting on screen. There are a few different varieties of mini-game that serve as the battle, but they're all overly simple and never get more complex than spinning a wheel quickly or tracing a figure eight. Compared to the likes of Pokemon in which you actually get to duel your monsters, this feels woefully anti-climactic.

The other major issue that afflicts this game is its extreme lack of variety. Basically, Bakugan battles are the only game type and there's very little else to break up the action save for some cut scenes or a conversation between characters. The only variety this game offers is the amount of players in a game at one time. It's either a one-on-one battle, a four-player tag team match, or a four player free-for-all. The result is that the game starts to feel very thin and shallow within only a few short hours.

It's not entirely bad, though. I'm sure kids will enjoy being able to play a faithful recreation of the board game without having to know multiple friends who also know how to play. Beyond that, there's also a fun character creator at the beginning of the game which lets players custom create their own avatar that will show up in the in-battle sequences and the cut scenes. It's a little bit limited in terms of your options for customization, so don't go in expecting Spore or City of Heroes, but I think most players will be able to create a character that suits their liking.

Bakugan has more than enough innovations to separate it from the legions of other Pokemon wannabes, but this effort just ends up feeling a bit hollow. Fans of the collectible game will no doubt enjoy having a compact, portable and above all, faithful recreation of the much bulkier board game, but this game is not likely to bring any new fans into the series. If you're looking for a game that's going to satisfy a long-standing Pokemon itch, you're going to want to look elsewhere, because this game just isn't up to the high-standards of the Pokemon series. This game is likely only going to appeal to people who are already fans of the board game.

Gameplay: 6.2
The standard Bakugan battles are pretty fun, and faithful to the board game, however there's just not nearly enough variety so it gets stale quickly.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics here are acceptable, but nothing more.  Most images are somewhat grainy, but the fact that the player gets to build the main character makes up for that a bit.

Sound: 7.9
Battle Brawlers has a pretty decent soundtrack that never gets annoying or grating. Voice acting is decent yet unspectacular.

Difficulty: Easy
For a mature gamer, Bakugan will be too easy, but the difficulty should be just about right for a youngster.

Concept: 7.5
The game brings very little that's new to the table, but the concept of the board game is still quite sound.

Multiplayer: 5.0
There's some multiplayer included, but it's not single-cart, meaning each of your friends will need their own copy.

Overall: 6.4
Fans of the series will find something to enjoy with Bakugan Battle Brawlers, but all others will likely get bored almost immediately. It's faithful to the original product, which many fans will appreciate, but it's not going to convert you into a Bakugan fanatic.