In the inaugural edition of DS Casual, we indulged in some cerebral gaming via Big Brain Academy and Brain Age. Now, functioning with a much enhanced cortex (though, my wife won't confirm it), I'm going to turn our attention to a more action-oriented indulgence.

And, what's that? Well, read on and I'll spill the marbles.

Recently, Chief Gamezebo, Joel Brodie, elaborated on the developmental effect PopCap's Zuma (itself inspired by Puzz Loop) has had on casual games. Deemed a good thing, and I concur, this Ballistic ball-shooting, rail-based arcade-puzzler has inspired several rip-offs (distinctly bad), but far more innovative derivations (decidedly good). Examples of the latter are Dynasty, Sweetopia, Birds on a Wire and Atlantis - Sky Patrol.

This Zuma- and Puzz Loop-induced inspiration has had an impact on Nintendo's DS, too, specifically in Magnetica, a game where it all comes down to a different "styli" of play. Obviously, the DS lacks a keyboard and mouse, and its built-in D-pad and buttons are not employed. In this diversion, marbles are controlled exclusively by "flicking them" with the system's handy little input utensil, the stylus.

That begs the question, "Is stylus-driven play good or bad?" Neither actually. It's just a matter of preference. I've played ball-shooters on several platforms besides the DS. For example, Ballistics on the PlayStation, Zuma Deluxe on the Xbox 360 via Live Arcade and a whole slew of PC iterations. Stylus, gamepad and mouse-keyboard combos all have their benefits as input devices. My preference? Well, I favor the traditional desktop duo of a mouse and keyboard. Though, I would rank the stylus as a close second. A gamepad is the least precise of all for this style of game.

Okay, so how does Magnetica play? Glad you asked! If you've indulged in any of the aforementioned titles, you know the gist. Chains of colored spheres roll unrelentingly along a rail moving ever closer to an exit, the reactor in this case. As they advance, you fire marbles into their midst to create like-colored combos of three or more which then disappear. Eliminate all the balls before they reach the reactor and you win. Fail, and the game ends.

In practice, you accomplish this feat by touching the ball in the launcher with the stylus, and flicking it on its way. Speed is determined by how quickly you slide the stylus across the screen. Meanwhile, realistic magnetic physics allow launched marbles to curve toward like-colored balls. Nifty, for sure, but aim and timing are the key elements in this equation. Since no aiming guides are provided and the speed of ball movement varies, your success depends on precision!

Of course, there's a bit more involved. Marbles of the same color are magnetically attracted to each other, a property you can use to your advantage in creating combos. Power-ups and obstacles also play a significant role. The Detonator, for instance, destroys all balls of the same color instantly, while the Rocket pushes marbles along at an increased rate. As you progress further into the game, extra colors are added, too.

It's not just straight-up, ball-blasting action in Magnetica, either. Four play modes - Challenge, Quest, Puzzle and Versus - help spice things up. Challenge Mode offers 99 levels of basic, straightforward orb-flicking fun at several difficulty levels (two available at the start). It also allows you to select between left- and right-handed control. But, there's little time to acclimate yourself before play gets frantic, even on the easiest settings.

As for Quest Mode, it offers some interesting twists with over 50 "missions" to complete. Similar to Challenge, you need to eliminate all the marbles before they reach the reactor. It differs, however, in that the reactor contains a metal ball. As you clear chains, this ball changes in color from bronze to silver to gold and finally platinum. Your goal is to reach gold, at minimum, in each mission.

This play variation also adds a "slot game" element. Land a marble in one of several corner holes to spin the slots in the upper display and, if you get a match, a power-up appears. In addition to the Detonators mentioned above, Decelerators momentarily slow marble momentum, Suppressors temporarily stop marble advancement and Inverters provide a brief reverse in chain direction. Once you've beaten a mission, you can replay it at any time.

In Magnetica's Puzzle Mode, you work at eradicating a chain of balls with a limited number of marbles to launch. Some patterns are extremely tricky, aggravated by the addition of ball bearings which can only be eliminated by destroying adjacent groups of marbles. Flick a marble off the screen, fail to clear all the balls, leave some in the launcher or allow a chain to reach the reactor, and you lose.

Finally, for multiplayer action, Versus Mode allows two gamers to compete against each other via Wireless or Download play. At the start of a game, you choose the time limit, track shape, whether or not to use attack items and the handicap settings. Creating chains allows you to send bearings at your opponent to gum up the works. Also, if enabled, you can employ attack items such as the Black Hole, which causes a marble-engulfing void to appear, and Virus, which turns your opponent's marbles into bearings.

Unfortunately, Wireless action, which saves your game results, requires a pair of DS units and two game cards. At $35 bucks a pop for Magnetica, this becomes an expensive proposition. Thus, most gamers will need to stick with Download play and forgo saving their stats.

So, is Magnetica worth the marbles? If you're a fan of Zuma-style puzzlers, yes. It's challenging, filled with unique twists and quite addictive. It also succeeds at implementing stylus-based play. The only caveat is that it costs nearly as much two PC-based casual games, making the decision one of portability versus selection. Still, if you're a ball-blasting aficionado and want some fun on the run for your DS, it's a hit.