Similar to Nintendo's under-hyped Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Professor Layton and the Curious Village tasks you with solving a mystery by interrogating townsfolk, except instead of rummaging through closets, you complete 130 imaginative puzzles that'll throttle your brain. It's the company's latest attempt at taking potentially boring content and wrapping it within a colorful presentation, yet Professor Layton is not without its issues, some of which mar the experience.

Professor Layton is a slow-paced mystery with a grand presentation. Never before have we seen such fluid and non-pixilated cut scenes on the DS, all of which feature expertly read dialogue that adds depth to the good professor and his "gee willickers" assistant Luke. At the same time, we can't help but feel cheated that the game settles for scrolling text most of the time, robbing us from hearing everyone's voice. Considering the DS memory limitation, however, this isn't a big deal. Instead, it's the narrative that drags the game down and almost ruins it.

Unless you possess inhuman amounts of patience and/or a steady supply of caffeine, Professor Layton may put you to sleep. Thanks to a simple and somewhat dry narrative, this isn't the type of game to play when fatigued, thanks to all the scrolling text and characters with nothing interesting to say. In addition, we didn't find the adventure all that appealing, yet at the same time, it doesn't appear that Nintendo wants everyone to drool over the story.

The puzzles, however, make the game worth playing. Nintendo and developer Level 5 (of Dark Cloud and Dragon Quest VIII fame) selected a wonderful assortment of mind benders, designed to get you thinking in different ways. Using the stylus to complete them, you'll figure out how to send animals to the other side of a river while meeting certain conditions, identifying the correct piece to fix a broken bridge and choosing the lighter weight by measuring them on a scale, but within two turns. The game lets you purchase up to three hints per puzzle using coins you acquire, but doing so cheapens the experience. Solving a puzzle on your own enhances the experience, while giving you an added confidence boost.

In addition to the puzzles, you'll explore the village searching for coins and fragments of pictures/gadgets that let you further solve the case. These activities give you a much-needed rest, allowing you to regroup before the next brainteaser.

With that said, not all of the puzzles entertained us, and getting stuck had us reaching for the power switch. Because the game follows a semi-linear path, we got stuck on certain puzzles that demanded we solve them in order to proceed, and this led to a lot of frustration. As a result, we ran into a lot of dead ends and needed to cool down before taking another crack at completing the game. Conversely, these puzzles are supposed to challenge you, so a little stress won't hurt.

Solving puzzles unlocks them, allowing you to exit the adventure and share them with friends. Past that, they serve little purpose, since it doesn't make much sense solving a puzzle you already know the answer to. However, Nintendo hopes to remedy this with downloadable content, releasing new and free puzzles on a weekly basis via the DS' Wi-Fi Connection.

Play Professor Layton and the Curious Village because you need something different, a game that'll challenge you unlike most games on the market. Besides, for all we know, you may find the story appealing. Charming, attractive and intriguing, this is an under hyped DS game that demands your attention.