Pictionary for Nintendo DS is one of the best examples of a DS game that’s actually been designed to be played by multiple people at once.

Everyone will need to gather around the DS to play, and have at least a clear view of the top screen, as the drawings are recreated as they happen on the non-touch screen, and they are actually “upside-down” to the drawer so that more people can see it.

Pictionary relies on the honor system in order to allow the drawer to see their clue without everyone looking.  Since the DS is a handheld stystem, this is definitely easier than in the Wii version.  Additionally, when a team gets a right or wrong answer, whoever has the uDraw Tablet must tell the game that an answer has been given and whether or not it was correct. 

There are three different levels of difficulty available in Pictionary for Nintendo DS: Easy, Medium and Hard.  Although the Easy level is more appropriate for younger kids, but there are still some pretty difficult clues there.  The threshold for active enjoyment is probably right around 8 or 9 years old, and even then tweens might not be completely familiar with all the words they are asked to draw (For example, “Abdomen” is one of the words we had to draw on Easy difficult.).  The game does allow players to pass words as many times as they want until they find something they are ready to draw.  Again, as with real-life board games, you might want to set ground rules about how much your family will allow.

Whether playing single or multiplayer, teams will make their way around a board landing on different colored spaces. Each space represents a category of word, and if your team guesses correctly, you get to roll the dice and keep moving on.  Throughout the game, there are also “All Play” spaces, which offer the opposing team the ability to guess what you are drawing and win control of the dice.

The game-makers have also created an all-new mode called Pictionary Mania, just for use with the uDraw tablet.  It plays as a regular game, except instead of each space representing a different category, they now represent a different drawing challenge.  In one, you’ll need to draw clues while the screen is rotating.  In another, you can draw as much as you want as long as you never lift your pen.  Other modes include one where the drawer is asked not to look at the screen, or another lets players use only the shape stamps.  This is a very fun twist on classic Pictionary, and is especially good for teens and up, or for a party atmosphere.

Another interesting thing about Pictionary is the fact that you can really play with as many players as you’d like.  Because of the team-based nature of the gameplay, there’s really no limit to how many people can be on each of the four teams.  Since the DS is kind of small, we had trouble with more than 5 or 6 people trying to view at the same time.

Pictionary for DS is one of the few handheld games we’ve played that was designed for multiple players to enjoy at once.  We think it does a great job of providing a fun experience for up to six players, but is best suited for kids age 7 and up due to the difficulty of many of the clues.