Interesting game this because for once it is a title that was originally a mobile phone and PC game that has now arrived on the console market, and yet when you look at it, it always was a perfect game for the Nintendo DS. In the game (if you don’t know already) players are challenged to become a property tycoon and earn millions of dollars in profit on the housing market. This is done by purchasing lots or existing properties, building properties on the lots and selling them for enormous amounts of profit. The game comes complete with a career mode. Here you are faced with 35 levels of varied difficulty. The levels are set across 8 different towns each with their own mayor who will set you the tasks that you need to complete on each level. These tasks can vary from reaching a set sum of money, to building amenities such as a cinema etc. Each task presents you with a certain time limit otherwise your reputation is tarnished and you slip down the property rankings. As well as the career mode there is also a casual mode where the clock does not exist or the objectives and you just build neighbourhoods how you want them. Control wise, everything is doing using the stylus and the two screens on the DS are used to good effect. The top screen being used to supply you with current information about your progress etc while the bottom screen shows you the actual neighbourhood that you are working on. Graphically the neighbourhood is colourful and the various buildings, although not overly detailed are reasonably different from one another. Sound wise there is a tune that could really get annoying at times presented and the odd effect tune.
Overall this is a fun game that people will enjoy playing while they are travelling to work or school etc. It is not the most difficult of games or the most challenging and to be honest although there are 35 levels in the career mode a lot of them are very similar. Once you have realised that you must keep an eye on things like materials and workforce you have at your disposal and you learn how to raise rental income by fitting things like swimming pools and sophisticated alarm systems then you have pretty much learnt everything you need to in the game. Having said that the game is a lot of fun and as I said its format and control system is perfect for the DS and I recommend it to every budding property tycoon out there. The game can be purchased here: http://www.avanquest.com/UK/software/build-a-lot-ds-130285?meta=play&cat=nintendo-ds-games | 
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