Game: "Lost Magic"

Console: Nintendo DS

Developer/publisher: Ubisoft/Taito

Genre: Role-playing game

Rated: E, for everyone

The premise: The thousand years of golden peace are about to end. The Diva of Twilight, sage and keeper of the Wand of Balance, has sent out hordes of monsters to slaughter the people she once protected; the other six sages fall one by one to her mad grab for power. You are Isaac, a 14-year-old boy who was separated from his parents during a monster attack. He flees into the woods, is taken in by the old witch who lives there and is taught magic. His journey begins when his father one day appears in the forest, hands him a wand and disappears again.

Game play: This is a linear story line, navigating via the world map from one area to the next. The fighting is done in a style normally reserved for tactical strategy games such as "Final Fantasy Tactics." Normally in tactical games, you fight in a grid; and player and opponent take turns controlling their respective armies. But "Lost Magic" is a little different: You move as in a grid, but the action is happening in real time. You use the stylus to draw the symbols of the spells you want to cast, then point to the area or opponent you want to use them on. Also, your magic can capture weakened monsters to use as your own personal army.

The good/bad: The plot is very interesting, with often-comical character interaction. Having an army of monsters to do your bidding is always a good idea. Unfortunately, said army has a way of dwindling down to just you pretty quickly. You never seem to have enough magic points and your character is too weak physically to do anything other than cast spells. By the time you finish drawing the rune and deciding where to cast the spell, the enemy has pummeled you to paste. The learning curve is very harsh, and the game will pile on the difficulty early, so don't expect a warming-up period like in most games.

Tips: Be sure to revisit areas on the map because you never know when new events or battles might occur. Keep Isaac in the back so he won't be damaged at the beginning of the game. Also, focus on the goal of the battle: If it's to keep someone safe, watch their life bar; if it's escape, get your character out of there. Try to avoid the "gotta get every monster on the screen" mindset.

My take: The creators seem to have had some difficulty in figuring out what kind of game they were making. They used cartoony characters, and the main character is a child, but the play is much too hard. The difficulty will turn people off; who wants to play a game that has you fighting the same fight over and over? The spell-drawing system could have been much better — for instance, pausing the game as you draw. Some of us aren't artistic and need the extra time.

Unless you're a masochist, do yourself a favor and skip this one. If you're in the mood for a good tactical strategy game, find "Final Fantasy Tactics" or "Advance Wars."

Jeffrey Davis, of Maui, is a video-game enthusiast.