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A lot of people probably don’t know that Nintendo started life as a playing card company, which is ironic considering they single-handedly jumpstarted the videogame industry 30 years ago, effectively replacing the deck of cards as the entertainment of choice in most homes. So perhaps it’s fitting that Nintendo is the name on the box of one of the best classic card- and board-game compilations to hit a portable system.

The Spice of Life

Clubhouse Games features 42 different classic games in one nice, neat little package. You’ll find everything here from Texas Hold ‘Em poker to bowling, chess to darts. The sheer variety of games on offer is almost overwhelming, and makes CHG the perfect cartridge to have with you at all times. A quick game of solitaire is a great way to pass the time on that morning bus ride, or if you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, wrap your head around the intricacies of shogi. Clubhouse Games caters perfectly to pretty much every skill or interest level.

And what’s more, nearly every game in the collection is playable via a local wireless connection or through wifi, meaning you’ll almost never have to settle for playing against the computer.

Games for Grandma

Clubhouse Games won’t win any awards for its graphics. The presentation here is strictly utilitarian, with a complete lack of special effects, pretty backgrounds, or even interesting card designs. So trying to impress upon your friends the power of the might DS with this title isn’t the best idea. If you’re all about showing people how easy it can be to pick up and play a videogame, however, this is your game.

Clubhouse Games is controlled exclusively using the touch screen. Along with dragging and dropping cards, flinging bowling balls or darts, or placing your pieces about the various game boards, the game also gives you regular hints on which cards can and can’t be played next, which moves you’re able to make, and so on.

There’s also a handy little tab at the bottom of the screen that you can access at any time for a quick rundown of current game’s rules, as well as more in-depth info (which hands beat which in a game of poker) and an options screen.

Burn That Deck of Cards

Despite a few quirks here and there (you can bet into the negative chips during poker, you can’t split a hand in blackjack), Clubhouse Games is a worthwhile purchase no matter what sort of gamer you may be. This is the stuff the DS excels at.

Article by: Greg Sewart
Video produced by: Eric Acasio