Like waves rippling outward from a stone dropped in a still pond, each version of the Final Fantasy series from Square Enix has expanded in scope, complexity, and breadth of storytelling. With the release of Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS, you can have the chance to play one of the earliest "ripples," albeit with updated graphics, sounds, and a new control scheme. While purists will enjoy finally playing an officially licensed release, the lengthy battles, unforgiving encounters, spotty save system, and confusing classes may turn off RPG-newcomers.

The plot of FFIII revolves around four youths who have been called to, naturally enough, save the world. These "warriors of light" must collect the energy of four elemental crystals and defeat a dark menace that will upset the balance. Each character has a thin background, but their stories don't come much into play over the course of the game. Instead, you move from one plot event to plot event, though the game doesn't always make it easy to figure out where to go to next.

Final Fantasy III's protagonists lack charisma, leaving you little reason to care about them. Part of the problem is the game's character class system, also known as the "job" system. In most RPGs, each character has a specific class, such as fighter, mage, thief, etc. Final Fantasy III gives you the choice of assigning classes to each of your characters, and each character has the same aptitude for every class, removing the uniqueness from each character. New classes become available throughout the game, necessitating a lot of level grinding, a chore as even the simplest battles take two to three minutes.

Other "improvements" include a 3D graphical upgrade, a shame as the usually fantastic 2D illustrations of monsters are missing. You also have the option of controlling your party entirely through the stylus, though this quickly becomes tiresome. Thankfully, Square Enix wisely allows players to revert to the more traditional D-pad and buttons control scheme as well. The last major addition is Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to send mail to characters in the game as well as other players, though it's unclear why you would want to.

With a traditional, almost primitive story, and lacking the unique characters of later FF titles, Final Fantasy III definitely shows its age. While it remains a decent RPG, it's just not up to the usual high standards expected of a Final Fantasy title.

Disappointing 3D graphics, especially as they have taken the place of the terrific 2D drawings that have been a staple of the early series.

No complaints here. The master composer of Final Fantasy themes, Nobuo Uematsu, scored this one himself. Voices would have helped lend personality to the characters.

Depending on your RPG orientation, you'll either find this a welcome return to level-grinding and simple plots, or wonder what all the fuss was about with the Final Fantasy series.

The DS version also contains a hidden dungeon with high-level bosses, fun for those who want to obsessively experience all this game has to offer.