Sonic the Hedgehog continues to run along at high speed, courtesy of some decent platforming adventures for the numerous consoles, as well as some excellent games for the Game Boy Advance. At long last, he's making his debut on the Nintendo DS, and it's a doozy. Sonic Rush is one of the better DS games to surface this year, packing high speed thrills with a superb presentation.

In the game, players can either control Sonic or the mysterious Black the Cat as they try to collect Chaos Emeralds and stop Dr. Robotnik from once again ruining the peacefulness across the land. He's turning animals into harmful robots, so it's up to the two of them to stop his plan, all while maintaining a massive speed and scoring lots of rings.

The gameplay formula follows a similar pattern to previous games, but there's some cool 3-D stunts to pull off throughout, like spinning around or sliding down slides right in front of you. The game's levels are exquisitely designed and packed with twists, turns, and secrets, along with the occasional bottomless pit that means a life taken away if you hit it wrong. The graphics are beautiful and never lose their frenized pace, and the music and sound effects are right on.

Sonic Rush may be a second place title behind the incredible Mario Kart DS, but Sonic fans are sure to enjoy it, especially for its intricate boss battles and numerous addictive levels. Time to go for a Sonic blast!