The five essential DS Christmas 2007 releases

If, like us, you've been too busy to start your Christmas shopping, take comfort from the fact that in addition to looking forward to spending money by purchasing friends and relatives gifts they'll be eternally grateful for (buying affection is so easy these days), you'll also be out in a gaming retail landscape that may have altered considerably since you last looked up from your computer or textbook.

The Christmas period is obviously a winter wonderland of commercial opportunity for game publishers and, like clockwork, they all pile in with the enthusiasm of over-excited children with a ridiculously large number of titles around the October-December period. As such, it's easy to get both overwhelmed by the sheer volume of games and miss a potential gem in the retail madness.

Thankfully, more than aware of this yearly problem, we've compiled (in alphabetical order) what we think is a pleasingly varied list of the five DS Christmas period releases we feel you shouldn't miss out on. We've limited this to European releases and excluded the most obvious candidate – The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – because, frankly, no DS owner should be without it.

And no need to thank us – we're in a giving mood. (But by all means return the favour by letting us know your own selection in the comments section.)

The five essential DS Christmas 2007 releases

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Developer: n-Space Publisher: Activision What's Christmas without war, eh? Actually, don't answer that. Anyway, the point is that anyone wishing to recreate the futility of combat and the absurdity of mankind on their Nintendo handheld during the festive season really ought to do it with this. First-person shooters aren't exactly the DS's forte, true, but Call of Duty 4 is a convincing reminder that, when handled correctly, it's not a genre that's beyond the capabilities of the format. It just needs the right approach, that's all.
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Developer: TT Games Publisher: LucasArts Somehow the early Star Wars films now represent Christmas in the same way that The Great Escape and The Sound of Music did for an older generation. So during the rush of the season, what better way to take time out than playing through both Star Wars trilogies in Lego form? Not only that, but as you unlock different characters and scenes in The Complete Saga, you can mix them all up – take General Grevious pod racing on Tatooine or see Obi-Wan Kenobi going bad and kicking Yoda's little green butt. It's all up to you.
Mario Party DS Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo As we all know only too well, this time of the year is the time for parties. But at least, with Mario, Peach, Yoshi and friends, you know there's not going to be any booze or photocopiers to cause regret the morning after. No, the only goal in Mario Party DS is collecting gold stars as you make your way around five different play boards and through 70 mini-games. Perhaps the strongest mode is multiplayer, however, so if you have some DS-owing friends, break out the party and the Christmas spirit – up to four of you can play sharing just one cartridge.
Orcs & Elves Developer: Fountainhead Entertainment Publisher: EA Already a hugely enjoyable RPG-styled, monster-slaying affair on mobile, Orcs & Elves' transition to DS has been expertly managed, retaining all of the key characteristics that make it such an engrossing adventure, while adding a host of new elements to this handheld version. Crucially, the dungeon-based action remains accessible throughout, disposing of pointless statistics and complex inventory management in favour of a very polished, very playable adventure we heartily recommend to all fantasy RPG aficionados (and encourage everyone else to try out, too).
Ultimate Mortal Kombat Developer: Other Ocean Publisher: Midway Infamous for its bloody fatalities, Mortal Kombat might not seem much like a Christmas special, but when it all gets too much, it will certainly provide some stress relief. As for the action itself, you'd expect the gameplay to be polished seeing as it's already be released on everything from arcade cabinets to SNES to Game Boy Advance. Favourite characters such as Jade, Scorpion, Smoke, and Reptile feature, while Mileena, Classic Sub-Zero and Human Smoke are unlockable. And if things do get too much, you can always chill out with a bout of the Puzzle Kombat mini-game, before going back to the fighting with the online multiplayer option.