Although Sony's PlayStation Portable has received most of the hype in the next-generation handheld battle, Nintendo DS has quietly been marching along.

Following in the innovative paws of "Nintendogs," "Electroplankton" (rated E, for everyone) is a game anyone can enjoy. Actually, calling this a game is misleading. Just as "Nintendogs" was more a puppy simulator than an actual game, "Electroplankton" plays more like an interactive multimedia synthesizer. There are 10 species of plankton, each with its own name, color and behavior (which creates a sound, such as chimes, piano tones or beats).

Each species inhabits a different area, which means you can't mix and match species (at least not with this first game). Gameplay uses every facet of Nintendo DS' functionality, including the microphone, the stylus and both screens (DS stands for dual screens).

In performance mode, which is the heart of the game, the plankton are "awakened" by tapping the stylus on the screen or speaking into the microphone. The Tracy plankton, which produce six piano notes, follow the lines you draw on the bottom screen with the stylus. Depending on how fast or slow, the notes change.

With the Hanenbow plankton, which sound like xylophones when they leap out of the water and bounce off low-lying leaves, you use the stylus to position the leaves. With one tap of the stylus, the Rec-Rec plankton will record sounds through the DS microphone and replay them in a loop.

The options are limitless, and it's easy to get lost playing with these musical microbes. An audience mode lets you watch and listen to the plankton make beautiful music together, which can be a lot more fun than an iPod. And there's no violence or death, just sweet, original music.