An excellent remake of a very dated 2D NES RPG that never made it to either Europe or America. The strength of the story is remarkable, with five seperate plotlines, and sets of characters being introduced before they finally merge in the last chapter of the game. It's an unusual style of RPG that gives it the feeling of re-starting afresh every few hours.

Be aware that this is the first re-make in a trilogy of re-makes for the DS, this originally being Dragon Quest 4, which will bring 4, 5 and 6 to English speaking shores. This trilogy is known as the Zenithia Trilogy and all three games are held in high regard by JRPG fanatics. Although these are billed as a trilogy they do not share plot points or characters and operate in similar fashion to the Final Fantasy games.

Overall I have no problem recommending this to anyone interested in RPGs. It's accessible, has a great story and the minor grinding needed never feels like a chore and suits itself to on-the-move play.

Well what can I say other than this simply eclipses the Final Fantasy series in terms of characterisation, story and dare I say, fun.

The remake has been made from the ground-up using the Dragon Quest VII graphics engine and it looks very spiffy on the DS. Unlike Final Fantasy with it's usually poor dialogue, this has been localised very solidly and the interpretation of the world and the events which lie within put new Japanese RPG's to shame. And remember this was 18 years ago...

I wouldn't want to spoil any more for the inquisitive buyer other than saying it's well worth the asking price. Yes, in places it feels like an older title (if that bothers you at all), but it is certainly a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale genre. Recommended!