Alright, I know it doesn't sound great. We have the Nintendo DS, a supposedly revolutionary console with exciting prospects for all genres. A bold, brave change for handheld gaming. And what is one of Nintendo's own stabs on this new frontier? A Pokemon racing game. Hmmmm. Bold new frontier indeed.

But bear with me, for all is not as dire as it seems. Put away your macho for a minute, and consider the possibility that a game built around racing the cutest little creatures against each other could offer more than simple, childish pleasure.

What we're seeing in the DS' early set of games are titles based around simple play mechanics: Project Rub is essentially a collection of touch-based mini-game; Yoshi Touch & Go has you drawing clouds and aiming eggs for its entirety; even Super Mario 64 DS' saving grace, its mini-games, are simplicity embodied. Dash is no different: you are charged with stroking and brushing the screen in appropriate directions to direct your chosen Pokemon to the finish line before the others, all in a GP-style structure.

Simple concepts but, look how cute! aawww.

But under this simple premise there is some wiggle wrong for depth and diversity. The environments you'll be racing through range from swamps to deserts to mountains to lava even, all affecting your speed and all littered with hazards that you'll have to avoid. It sounds easy, but you'll going to have to negotiate your course and keep ahead of pack by banging in that direction with your stylus, so it could get frantic.

Thankfully the courses are open-ended enough to avoid the tedium linearity could've induced. You're given checkpoints to reach, but there are no set tracks as much. You'll have to navigate your own way to your destination, and judge the best option available. Not only are there are different routes en land, but you can take to the sky if we want to too. Just grab a balloon and you're away.

In the clouds you can get a birds-eye view of your environment, helping to set the best route, although in doing so the game dims your understanding of the next checkpoint's location, so you'll have to use your judgement the too. If you fancy taking an airborne shortcut, though, you'll have to contend with risky re-entries. There are certain areas your Pokemon can't land in, forcing you to steer and find a comfortable landing spot, and a steady descent requires careful manipulation of your helium-filled elliptical servants (that's balloons for anyone who doesn't speak pretentious journalist).

There is some depth in there.

Visually, it's not exactly spectacular, but it's complementary to the rest of the game. The sprites are rendered well, the only instance of 3D being a model Pikachu for you to have fun with in the game's introduction. The action moves along in Mode 7 style, and the character models are predictably cute.

Owners of Pokemon Fire Red, Leaf Green, Sapphire or Ruby can also import their critters from the GBA cartridge to the DS, where, bizarrely, they'll be converted into maps to be raced on. That's your lot though – don't expect to expand the racer selection with your own darling fighters.

Doesn't sound as inane as before, does it? Well, hopefully not. For impressions of the Japanese version point to an enjoyable, entertaining, if obviously limited, title. Pokemon fans will have to wait until Diamond and Pearl for the next 'proper' handheld game in the franchise, but in the meantime Dash should offer a momentary diversion.