Panel de Pon gets DS upgrade

Buoyed no doubt by the massive success of Tetris DS, Nintendo today announced that the latest beneficiary of the revamp-o-wand will be Panel de Pon, a puzzle game that has been previously released as Tetris Attack, Pokemon Puzzle League and Pokemon Puzzle Challenge.

Never heard of it? Not to worry, it's pretty simple: players swap adjacent tiles in a large wall of blocks, with the aim being to make horizontal or vertical lines of three or more to delete them. A bit like Zoo Keeper, come to think of it.

In addition to benefiting from touch-screen control, the game will feature both a mission mode and a puzzle mode, the latter of which sees players trying to clear the screen of blocks with a limited amount of moves.

The game makes use of the DS' wi-fi capabilities to provide not only four-player local matches, but also battles over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, complete with full voice-chat support.

Also new to this edition are items, which are used in competitive matches to hinder your opponent's progress.

Panel de Pon is set for a Japanese release on the 26th of April for
the modest price of 3,800 Yen (approximately £16). Although there's no word of an international release, if it's as succesful as Tetris DS we'd certainly not rule it out. Click on 'Track It!' and we'll keep you informed.