Without giving too much away (in fact theres not much of a story), you are a space traveller called Captain Olimar who crash lands on a strange planet after being hit by a meteor. This leads to the (near) destruction of your ship and so follows a hunt to find 30 ship parts that have been scattered throughout this strange planet.

Youll soon find your not alone in your quest, when you discover the Pikmin, a mysterious carrott shaped creature that inhabit the planet. And its around these that the games main play mechanic revolves. Pikmin follow your command and you can give them various tasks to help you gain access to new areas and ultimately, return all your ship parts. The Pikmins skills include fighting (in huge numbers), building, and collecting food and pellets to harvest and further increase your Pikimn army.

Puzzles are relatively simple, some requiring some thought, and in most cases, planning. Time management is important as you are required to complete tasks in a day by day cycle, of which at first, dont appear very long.

The game is extremely polished as youd expect from Nintendo, the visuals are splendid and are perfectly suited to the game, vibrant colours, and nice lighting effects as the day passes.

You need to stick with the original day or so of getting all your Pikmin together, sorting out your times, trying a few enemies, and then prepare to have the best gaming time of your life. The aim is to help Olimar put his ship back together, using only tiny aliens. These little guys are all so different - some good at fire, some good at jumping... you know the score. Its got the strategy element of Lemmings, but its much more interesting and equally addictive. You become really involved with the Pikmin characters. In groups they are brave, but as individuals they are heroic - feisty, loyal, unselfish, daring. My last tiny blue Pikmin was with me for three days before succumbing to a horrible slug. I actually wept. Wed been through all sorts together.