Daniel X The Ultimate Power is a DS game that will appeal to many tween boys.  The game takes advantage of most of the buttons on the DS as well as the stylus, so after a few minutes of learning the moves, you’ll end up having to remember lots of different actions assigned to each button.

The main brunt of the gameplay is of the run, jump and explore type, mixed in with a relatively-simple one-button fighting system for when you encounter alien enemies.  The game does a good job of making the combat simple yet exciting on-screen, with combos and different actions based on different points of the directional arrows.

Daniel X acquires lots of abilities along the way, and it’s up to the player to figure which ones (or combinations) will help them get through a situation.  For example, Daniel X can summon his friends at certain spots or turn into a soccer ball to get into tight areas.

Daniel X really is a single-player game through and through, and there aren’t many opportunities for family play or cooperation.  It’s somewhat violent (lots of kicking and punching) and definitely seems written to appeal to tween boys.  Outside of that audience or fans of the book series, the game really does not have enough family appeal to be considered family-friendly.