Jam Sessions

Platform: Nintendo DS
Verdict: Stylus rock.
Rating: 3½/5
As one of those people that always meant to take up the guitar but never quite got round to it, gaming's handy ability to simplify musicianship and make it fun without the frustration of learning has always eased the self-disappointment. While titles like Samba de Amigo, Donkey Konga and Guitar Hero helped me recreate the joys of performing with far less skill, Jam Sessions is in an even nicher niche of gaming as it swings back away from being a game, pitched as a virtual instrument for the travelling guitarist and aspiring musician in all of us.
Using the touch screen to strum, your stylus works as a plectrum, playing chords on the virtual guitar by holding the d-pad in a particular direction. With a chord mapped to each direction and a press of the left shoulder button to superimpose a new chord 'palette', you have 16 editable chords to play. Allowing you to record your riffs, the microphone can also be enabled for some added warbling - the only downside being the inability to multi-track (and become subject to tuneless singing).
Sound quality is surprisingly decent although best advised through some headphones or an amp that goes up to 11 (obviously), the touch screen allows for some fairly subtle and expressive twangs of the 'string' and it comes with some comprehensive effects and fine-tuning options.
There are also songs to play along to if you're looking for something more akin to a game but without a reward system or scoring to chart your progress, it's a relatively muted affair, aimed more at homing your skills and teaching new styles.
The twitchy diagonals on the DS Lite's d-pad can make for some frustrating moments but overall it's a fairly satisfying experience which despite being a fairly bare bones package, serves its purpose as an audio sketch-book for musicians admirably and as a musical toy for those seeking something unique and fun to add to their collection. Rock on.