Even though it's been out for about a year and a half, the DS hasn't gotten too many good third-party RPGs. With Lost Magic, I was hoping Taito would come through to a deliver a great experience that would serve as a credit to the console's variety. And for the first half hour or so, it really is. It's when needless mechanics are added later on that the experience isn't so hot.

Essentially, the story tells the tale of a world where The Great Creator split up his power into seven magic wands, and each wand was given to a powerful sage. Unfortunately, many years later, the current owner of one of the wands, the Diva of Twilight, decides to take each other instrument of magic by force, thereby combining their powers and becoming the new Creator. The only person standing in her way is Issac, the son of a fallen sage, who uses his father's wand to do right in the quickly darkening world. It's pretty standard stuff when it comes to RPGs. Beautiful but crazy woman + lust for power + unlikely hero with potential = Lost Magic.

What sets the title apart is definitely its gameplay. For starters, the entire game is played on the touch-screen. You won't really travel on the map; you just tap the area that you want to go to, and then Issac walks over to it; when fighting, you tap his avatar and then tap the spot you want to walk to. From menus to battling it out, the touch screen is the main course. The latter's where things get interesting. When operating solo, you'll be able to defend yourself by drawing runes with your stylus. This is, hands-down, the best part of the game. It's not only intuitive, but fun as well. You'll even get a more potent spell depending on how well you draw the rune. And for you forgetful types, all of the spells you've learned will be on the top screen for reference whenever you press L (which brings up the rune-drawing circle). Not only can you use runes to attack, but thanks to a certain spell, you can heal as well. After increased use, you can upgrade your runes to become more powerful. If the battle system in Lost Magic was exclusive to this technique, I would've had a blast. Unfortunately, it's not.

Early on in the game, you'll learn a dark spell from a mysterious traveler. Basically, it allows you to capture monsters you find in battle, and then use them later on in an RTS fashion. Simply tap the unit you want to command (or draw a circle if you want them to move as a group) and touch the point on the map you're aiming for, same as Issac. It's in this way that you'll be able to have them act as a diversion while you complete that battle/level's mission (which is timed, so their usefulness is key). For example, you might need to purify a set of crystals in two minutes, but you can only do so when its surrounding area is clear of monsters. You can send your troops out to take them out, and then, when they're done, you can sweep in to progress in your goal.

However interesting it sounds, though, it's ultimately flawed, thanks to awful AI on the part of your troops. If they happen to have an obstacle in front of them, they'll simply keep walking into it and not walk around it, causing a lot of problems when things need to be done quickly and you've got your own backside to look after. The fact that it's timed adds on a lot more stress and really ruins what could've been a great experience.

Outside of the main mission, you're able to tap into Nintendo's Wi-Fi service to battle people around the world in the same manner you do in the game. Runes and troops are at your disposal, but the same problems that come up in the game are present in the online mode as well. Also, you may encounter a noticeable lag that drags down the finesse.

When it comes to visuals, Lost Magic is dreadfully plain. Even though the characters were designed by an artist who once worked with the famed Studio Ghibli, the game really lacks detail and could've easily been done on the GBA. Its generic anime look and drab environments don't do much to excite you. The spell effects look nice, though. Aurally, it's another wash, with music so mediocre you're likely to play with the sound off.

I really wanted to like this game, and I really hope the rune-drawing system is used again for a different title, because it really is fantastic, but the RTS mechanics are unresponsive, and the timed missions are more of a hindrance than a challenge. If you're starved for a handheld RPG, you'd do best to wait for Final Fantasy V, VI, or the remade III on the DS when it comes out later this year.