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Not since Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES has Princess Peach had a starring role in a Nintendo action-platform game. Back then she was one of four selectable characters, but this time she has the spotlight all to herself. Super Princess Peach for the Nintendo DS plays like a traditional 2D Mario game, with plenty of familiar items, locales, and enemies to discover. Mix in some brand new play mechanics and fun level design and we have a game that caters both to girls (a market Nintendo has been focusing on) as well as traditional Nintendo enthusiast gamers.

The game begins with a rather long cinema for a game like this. Bowser, who had discovered the hidden Vibe Scepter, kidnaps Mario and Luigi. The princess was away from the castle at the time and when she returned she vowed to rescue Mario like he had done for her so many times in the past. It's at this time that players are introduced to a new character, Perry the talking umbrella. Not only does it give the player hints, but also the umbrella serves as the main mode of attack for the princess. Peach can still jump one top of enemies to try and destroy them, but it's much easier to simply whack them with the umbrella. She can either do a standard hit, which will usually take out the enemy immediately, or she can stab them with the end of the umbrella and lift them above her head. She can then either throw the enemies or the umbrella can eat them and absorb Vibe energy.

Peach has four different Vibe powers. They are located via heart icons on the bottom screen of the Nintendo DS. By touching one of these emotional hearts, the princess will act accordingly. For example, touch the sad heart (Gloom) and she will start crying, her tears a virtual river of water. This particular vibe serves two purposes. She can grow vines and plants by watering them and sprint incredibly fast while she's upset. The other vibes are Joy, Rage, and Calm. Joy allows Peach to turn into a tornado and float to previously unreachable platforms. Rage allows the princess to burn down structures and to melt ice. Calm simply restores her heart panels (energy). Anytime she uses a Vibe, her Vibe meter depletes. As was mentioned earlier, she can regain this energy by lifting up enemies and having the umbrella eat them. Also, most levels have blue crystals scattered about that will fill the meter.

As is standard with Mario games, throughout each level coins can be collected. This time around the coins are saved up and used to purchase items in the shop. Some of the more useful ones increase Peach's heart panels and lengthen the Vibe meter. Her umbrella can be upgraded with new uses as well. There are also puzzle pieces that are hidden in the levels that can be collected to unlock goodies. Each stage also has three Toads that are held captive. The goal is to find all three per stage. If you complete the stage without finding all of them, you can always go back and replay it later if you wish.

The graphics is Super Princess Peach are very bright and colorful. The game sports great animation and the sheer amount of nostalgia packed into the game is any Nintendo fan's dream come true. The difficulty of the game is on the easy side. There are some levels that can be tricky at first, but any sort of trial and error with the Vibes will usually solve any dilemmas. The game does support the rumble pak (included with Metroid Prime Pinball), and while it's not necessary to enjoy the game, it's nice to include the option. A bit disappointing is the music in the game. Usually Mario games have some memorable tunes, but this time around there's nothing that stood out.

Super Princess Peach is aimed at girl gamers, but for those guys out there brave enough to purchase the game, it's well worth playing. For the younger girls out there that are used to playing trash games like Care Bears, Barbie, or the countless movie knock-off games, this game will be a Godsend. While we're just months away from a true Mario sequel on the Nintendo DS with New Super Mario Bros., Super Princess Peach delivers the excellent gameplay now and shouldn't be missed.