DSSingleCard.com
Setup & Timing
The title's opening credits are short. Download time was fast. Navigating trhrough the menu is as simple as navigating a book. "DS Wireless" is right on the main menu, followed by "Local Wireless" (and then "Send Trial").
Menu Navigation
The menu system itself is a simple series of tappable buttons - all large and clearly labeled with defined borders. The "OK" and "Back" buttons are up in the top corners of the touch screen and are much smaller, but are still easily findable and easily usable.
Ease Of Use / Control
Navigating through the books themselves is simple. Pull a page forward or back using the touch screen (or by tapping the left or right edges of the screen). flip multiple pages (scroll through the book) by tapping the bottom edge of the screen and dragging the scroll bar. Access the menu for any other function (including using bookmarks) by tapping the top edge of the screen. Everything in the software is as easy to use and as intuitive as reading an actual book (and set of bookmarks).
Category Score: 13.5 / 15
Content
Visually, while there are some graphics in the title (book covers, author picture, etc.), graphics are most certainly not the focus (none of these books are pop-up books) and shouldn't be a considered factor in reviewing. Audibly, there is some background music while in the menu system but, in the demo, none while reading. There are some sound effects while flipping pages, accessing menu options, etc. The title contains 100 different stories, but only makes three of them available for Single-Card Download demos: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Man Who Would Be King. Each of those demos contain the complete book (eithout exception), as well as an About the Author and About the Book sections.
Overall Enjoyment
I chnaged the name of this category from "Overall Fun" to "Overall Enjoyment" for this review to make a distinction: This is a piece of reading software, not a game. You read it, not play it. I don't want to give anyone the impression I'm comparing it to a game. It's an entirely different experience, and is intended specifically for people who want to read. The books available for download (and those that aren't) are classics: they may be public domain, but they've stood the test of time, proving themselves as some of the best stories ever written. The reading is easy, with variable font sizes. Would I compare 100 Classic Books to Amazon's Kindle? No. The Kindle is a dedicated book reader with a much larger screen, and many more (pay-for-purchase) books. On the same note, I wouldn't compare the Kindle's ability to play games to the DS's. The DS is primarily for gaming and the Kindle is primarily for reading. For a Nintend DS owner that likes to read the classics (and doesn't want to carry around another device), this is a great way to go.
Put larger "OK" and "Back" buttons in the main part of the touch screen (instead of hidden in the corners).
Provide a voice control option ("Next" or "Next Page" / "Menu" / "Bookmark" / "Page 108" / etc.).
Allow the host to send any one book as a Downloadable Demo, including books downloaded via Wi-Fi Connection.
Offer different fonts and more than two font sizes.
Include a dictionary (at least for unfamiliar words).
Add a sortable bibliography of all works written by each author, along with years.
Overall Single-Card Download Rating: 85 / 100 (a.k.a. 42.5/50)
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