Travel mates
Today I thought Screen Play readers might like to list their essential travel companions. My prerequisites for the perfect portable game are that it must ...

Screen Play has been traveling a lot lately, ensuring that I've spent lots of time with the DS.

It has given me the chance to try and bolster my Pokemon troupe so I can catch up to the rampant progress my eldest son is making in Diamond, but I've also found a few other cartridges have become essential travel companions.

First in the bag is always the DS browser, which thanks to Nintendo's handy agreement with Telstra, enables me to keep track of the Screen Play chatter without paying those exorbitant mobile data charges.

Another essential is Clubhouse Games, a title which hasn't got the attention it deserves over the last year (despite my praise when reviewed in the SMH). I've since seen the game pop up occasionally on retail catalogues for less than half price and can highly recommend it as a evergreen favourite, great fun whether you've got just a couple of minutes spare or a few hours to kill.

Other games that have proved faithful friends on the road or in the air include Animal Crossing Wide World, Advance Wars Dual Strike and Elite Beat Agents.

My PSP only tends to come on longer trips (complete with two spare batteries and the essential charger) and is usually accompanied by some movies, Lumines and Puzzle Quest. (God of War: Chains of Olympus might become a future addition judging my brief time with the game yesterday - it's hugely impressive.)

Today I thought Screen Play readers might like to list their essential travel companions.

My prerequisites for the perfect portable game are that it must have almost endless replay appeal, be quick to get into and accommodate even the briefest of play sessions.

It's not that the likes of Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk aren't highly recommended, just that they are better suited to a lazy afternoon curled up on the couch.

I've been enjoying Phoenix Wright: Justice for All over the past week and its four cases are each even longer than its predecessor, spanning many, many hours. It is not the kind of game you can easily dip in and out of (unless you take copious notes or have a formidable memory) but it is great fun when you have a few hours to invest.