Once a classic when it was originally released two decades ago, ever since then the Bubble Bobble franchise has been subjected to many iterations and while some of them may have been good once upon a time, this really isn't an example of a game that's aged well. We last saw Bub and Bob on the DS a mere two years ago in a less than spectacular appearance at the time, though it just about managed to recreate the classic Taito design template; two years on and we have a new character named Bubu and not a lot else.

Aside from designing a new dino, the developer has done very little in the way of creativity - you jump around the various levels blowing bubbles which encapsulate enemies leaving you free to descend directly on top of them to take them out and supplement your score. After about ten levels you will face a bigger boss type enemy which you can't trap, and so you need to figure out an alternative method of advancement.

There is one added "feature" to the franchise as this time you can use the shoulder button to drag out a different dino, the point of this being that each of the blue, green and red coloured creatures can blow bubbles of their own respective colours; this comes into play in later levels where you need to use colours that correspond to the enemy that your up against, hardly revolutionary and it doesn't really add anything as such but it's new nonetheless.

Where utilising the system's resources is concerned, the graphics are mostly functional and add nothing new whilst the same is true of the audio with rudimentary remixes of some classic tunes; the touch screen is only actually used for mini-games which will appear once all your lives are gone and essentially give you the chance to win more so you can carry on if you so desire, they are so basic and so easy to complete however that it makes you warrant their inclusion as they are nothing more than filler.

Much more enjoyable is the game's multiplayer mode which sees a maximum of three players take control of different dinosaurs and work their way cooperatively through the levels; it's fun but flawed on the technical front as there is no single cart multiplayer and no excuse for it's exclusion and all sessions must be started from the start of the first level; there was easily enough room on the cart to include these basic features and whats more the game won't even save your score, it's purely down to lack of effort that these options were omitted and it's just not good enough.

If you desperately want to play this for the classic Bubble Bobble game formula then you really are better off obtaining the original game as opposed to this, you may experience enjoyment from the multiplayer mode if you can find anyone else who has the game too but you have to ask yourself if it's even worth it; on the upside if you do still wish to purchase this average update to an age old classic it can now be yours for the princely sum of less than ten pounds as you will find it at the bottom of bargain bins everywhere by now.