There is no denying that upon the announcement of the DS way back in 2003, people thought that Nintendo had actually lost the plot.

The Nintendo DS was a drastic departure, a new handset that was meant to compliment rather than replace their hugely successful GameBoy brand, a stylus and sound driven machine with two screens evoking the design of the original Game and Watch…

Nintendo had definitely lost it…or had they?

The history speaks for itself, and with 97.5 million DSes sold worldwide by the end of 2008, it showed introducing a device with innovative yet familiar input methods for non-gamers would have a far greater appeal, a tactic they have repeated with great success in the Nintendo Wii.

So, with over 3 million sold last month in the US alone, it means lots of new owners finding Nintendo’s handheld in their stocking this Christmas. Which games should they be playing into 2009?

So we at Invisible Hand have gone through many titles to pick out some of the latest, and greatest games to hit the little handheld that could….

1. Cooking Mama - £12.96 from Amazon.co.uk

As the name suggests, it is indeed a cooking simulator. The touch screen allows you to cut, chop, sautee and mash like a animated Jamie Oliver in this unique title. Cook over 70 dishes, and be ranked on your culinary expertise by the legendary Cooking Mama!

Winner of the “Most Innovative DS Design of E3″ award in 2006, Cooking Mama is both easy to get into but challenging enough to create a new generation of budding Blumenthals!

2. Nintendogs - £14.99 from Amazon.co.uk

Forget Tamagotchi (oh, you have?), the greatest virtual pet simulation of all time is for the DS! Nintendogs allows you to care for man’s best friend in every way possible! Pet them, bathe them, purchase toys and supplies to keep them looking their best, even teach them tricks and commands by speaking into the DS microphone. They seem a bit stubborn at first, but persevere and you can even win medals at local dog shows!

Choose from a variety of breeds from Labrador to Schnauzer, even set your DS to ‘bark’ mode to let your pet socialise with other Nintendogs (and their owners) if you bump into them in the real world!

3. New Super Mario Brothers - £24.96 from Amazon.co.uk

A…re-imagining rather than a sequel to the classic platforming adventures, New Super Mario Bros. brings back all of the classic enemies, levels and power-ups with a next-generation twist! New mushrooms allow Mario to balloon to the size of entire screen, whilst previously familiar foes may have a few new tricks up their sleeve! Great fun to play whilst a huge challenge to master, New Super Mario Bros. shows that sometimes they do make them like they used to…

4. Dr. Kawashina’s Brain Training : How Old Is Your Brain? - £16.99 from Play.com

The ‘game’ that started it all… This unassuming combination of mental puzzles, challenges and a strange self help guide catapulted the Nintendo DS into the public eye. Holding the DS vertically as though it were a book, you play through a set of brain teasers and at the end of each session the “age” of your brain is calculated. It’s all terribly scientific, and you can improve with frequent practice every day.

With the endorsement of famed neuro-scientist Dr. Kawashima and using a combination of the stylus for writing and the microphone for speech recognition tests, this title took the world by storm! Finally a game that could be enjoyed by the young and old alike and made you feel better, and smarter, for playing it!

5. 42 All-Time Classic Games - £14.96 on Amazon.com

Simple premise, really. 42 all-time classic games, 1 package, fun for all the family!

All of the ones you want are here including Chess, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, Solitaire, Bowling and Dominoes! Makes those family trips abroad a ton more fun when you have some board games…now they are all inside the tiny package of the Nintendo DS!

Maybe it will be a case of sour grapes this Christmas if you can’t get the one present that everybody wants but after Spring 2009, there is a fair chance that the demand for this WiiFit may experience a drop if you’re just keen on maintaining fitness levels.

Huh? Drop in Demand for a WiiFit? Yes, I’m suggesting that on the grounds that not everyone may want a WiiFit if they prefer the “home fitness experience with a more Western cardiovascular approach” under the personal (read virtual) supervision of Bob Greene is preferred (Bob Greene – who? Bob Greene aka Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer). Here’s the first trailer for you -

The EA Sports Active comes with two leg straps, a resistance band and a health book and the entire package is priced at $59.99. And you don’t necessarily need the balance board but it will be compatible.

The buzz seems to be that Electronic Arts’ latest offering is going to rival the Nintendo WiiFit but honestly, I’d like to refer to that statement as strategic intent. Well, if not kindly help me understand – how is the EA Sports Active going to match the fun element provided by the WiiFit vide games such as Ski Jump and Soccer Heading? I believe that EA Sports Active doesn’t even claim to match the fun you can have on the WiiFit.

They definitely have priced it right for half of what you can do with the WiiFit but will EA Sports Active displace the WiiFit as is being suggested? Let’s wait and see!