It's a bit strange writing a review about a web browser games-dedicated website. We don't have to rate graphics, gameplay and livespan� Instead we have to look at the functionality of the product. Does it do what you want it to do?

The first time I laid my hands on the DS Browser � developed by Safari - was on the Games Convention show floor in Leipzig. For two days I was separated from the internet, and the thought of the digital world living on without me was a painful one. It was like seeing an oasis in the desert when I saw a demopod with the DS browser that day� luckily it wasn't a mirage.

In no time I was surfing the web. Entering an url was easy with the keyboard that popped up on the touch screen. Of course my first visit was the N-Europe website, which loaded fully in almost 20 seconds. That's without images, which is the most comfortable way to surf the web with the DS. You see, the memory expansion pack (which is included in the package) helps the DS loading the images, but it can still be a heavy task for our little Nintendo machine to load the big websites from nowadays on the screen. Loading N-Europe with images took around 45 seconds.

On the bottom of the touch screen there's an easy overview with buttons that lead you over the digital highway. The web pages are easy to view on the two screens. There are two different options of seeing webpages. In the first a zoomed version of the webpage is displayed in the top screen and an overview on the bottom screen. In the second option the full page is displayed on the touch screen so that you can scroll through the page. Sure, it's no 19' inch monitor, but the DS screen is big enough to display sites in a convenient way (in a mobile internet kind of way).

The basic functions speak for themselves. Of course you can organize your favourites in a list, for quick access. Setting up new WiFi hotspots is easy as always and doesn't require the browser to restart which speeds up the process a little.

For the few people that don't like entering information with the nifty keyboard there's an option to enter stuff by hand-recognition. This works quite well, if you know what kind of handwriting the software expects from you. After a few times you get the hang of it. Too bad it doesn't recognize the hyphen in the 'N-europe' url, but adding this address immediately to your favourites list the first time you visit it, is - of course � a good solution.

The basic web browsing works exceptionally well, but if you want to go a little beyond the basic stuff and get deeper involved in the world wide web you quickly come across the restriction of this software package. For example, the PDF file format � quite a standard in online documenting � isn't supported. Flash sites don't load on the DS browser either. Consider that you're not able to download any kind of software to your DS and you start to realize that you're stuck in the basic world of internet. We're back to the nineties.

This also means no videos or audio on your DS with this browser, but frankly there's another handheld available for these kind of things. This package aims at the basic way of surfing (and maybe that's really all the DS can handle). Too bad the browser isn't offered for a cheaper price, though. Paying the price of a full game seems a bit unfair, especially as you count in that consumers normally get their browser for free.

Not being able to download software doesn't mean that you're stuck without a messenger program on your DS. There are sites like www.ebuddy.com/mobile available that make a basic version of MSN work in JavaScript � supported by the DS Browser � so that you chatting with your friends online on the DS is possible.

In conclusion, the DS Browser can be quite useful and enjoyable. That is, if you've the right expectations from this package. You're not buying a stand-in for a laptop with this. That's just not going to happen. The DS hasn't got the capacity or power to quickly load the big websites on it.

What you can do with the DS Browser is surfing the internet in an easy, convenient way away from your desk. Yep, that means internet on lots, lots of different locations. Browsing the internet while taking a dump in the morning isn't an impossible dream anymore. Again, it's Nintendo that makes it happen�

Pros:
- Easy interface
- Well-organized

Cons:
- Price
- Tsss, no audio support
- And� No movie support as well

Final verdict: Not the most convenient way to browse the web, but a good alternative when you're on the road.

7/10