100 Classic Book Collection (Nintendo DS)

100 Classic Book Collection is a new type of title for the DS, the tiny cartridge holds 100 classic books which can be read on the dual screens. It was a title that I was curious about but thought that I would not like reading books on the small screen. I finally picked up a copy when the price fell to £9.99 for a while on Amazon and my curiosity got the better of me.

As the name suggests the cartridge contains 100 classic books, all of which have passed their original copyright limit so Nintendo could put them onto a cartridge without paying the author to use them. The list of titles is impressive with books such as A Christmas Carol, Bleak House and Little women. Some of the authors are Shakespeare, Dickens, Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, Oscar Wilde and Robert Louis Stevenson.

To select a book you simply go to the bookshelf and scroll through the list of books which you can display both by title or author alphabetically and tap your selection with the stylus. There is also a quiz function which will ask you a series of questions about your personality and then suggest three titles which it thinks you will like. The books you have already read are marked so that you don't accidently choose them again when you are looking for something new.

When you select a book you have the option of reading a history of the book with a short plot synopsis and also reading about the author which will help you decide if it is the correct book for you. These potted histories of both the books and authors are really interesting and tell you about the history of the book and it's significance.

Obviously the small DS screen size is of concern, the screen size means that little women has 1740 pages and Moby Dick a massive 4264 pages. The text is arranged over both screens of the DS which you hold like a book with the ability to change orientation if you are left handed. The font is black type on a white background and both sizes of text are in an easy to read font. In the end the small screen size did not bother me much as it was so easy to turn to the next page.

Navigating through the pages of the book couldn't be easier using the stylus or the buttons with options to go forward and backward pages and also scroll through the pages. There are onscreen tutorials available to guide you when you first pick up the game and even a real technophobe will be able to navigate the title easily.

You also have the option to add some background noise to your reading session with a range of effects like classical music, the sound of a beach or moving train and oddly even an airport departure lounge. I found these midi tracks just irritated me, even things like the sound of the beach soon became repetitive. Luckily you can switch all the sounds off and choose your own music in the background or read in silence.

By connecting wirelessly I was able to access some extra features. These features were not that impressive to be honest, an extra ten books and you could also see how other people had ranked each book. If you are unable to connect wirelessly then you are not really missing out on that much.

I never thought that I would enjoy reading books on a screen but the experience is surprisingly pleasant. Of course it feels different to reading a paperback and you certainly won't want to relax in the bath with this but it is still really nice to curl up with your DS and read one of the classics. The fact that the console is portable and much smaller and lighter than a book also means that you can put it into your bag and have a massive range of books to choose from when you are out and about.

I've been meaning to read some of the classics for ages, books like a Christmas Carol and Moby Dick have been on my "to read" pile for years. I've started reading Moby Dick and love the poetic language of it; I have also re-read What Katy Did, one of my childhood favourites. My twelve year old has also read Little Women mainly on a long journey and I think having the old texts in a format that kids are familiar with makes them more likely to want to read to them.

The one criticism I have with the cartridge is that each individual reader is only likely to be attracted to a relatively small number of books on the cartridge; I know for example I will give all the Shakespeare plays a miss as I simply don't enjoy reading plays. Having said that there are probably a dozen or so titles I will read over time and I'm sure there will be at least a few books that will appeal to everyone.

While the DS can never compare to the likes of the E-reader in terms of reading experience the 100 Classic Book Collection is still a great addition to my DS games collection and I would be interested in buying other book collections if they come out.