The digital board game is a concept that has all but become synonymous with the Mario Party series. As with any successful product, imitations have surfaced, but none have managed to capture the essence of what truly makes these games so much fun. Mario Party 3 provides enough to entice new fans and satisfy existing ones, but does little to further the genre or remedy the problems that have been around since the first game.

The storyline serves no purpose other than to provide an incredibly basic premise around which to wrap the game. The Millennium Star has crashed in the Mario universe, and now all the inhabitants are arguing over who should possess it. To settle the argument, the Star places everyone inside a magical toy box, and only the one who can master all of his challenges will be worthy of possessing the Star.

The single-player mode is essentially the same as multiplayer, except that the player is only required to win on each board once in order to complete the game. Before each game, players must choose a character, the likes of which include Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Wario. Much like the more traditional board game, Mario Party 3 requires players to throw a die and move the correct number of spaces on the game board. As players move around the board they collect gold coins, which can be used to purchase helpful items or gold stars. The player with the most stars after the allotted number of turns is the winner.

In-game events are triggered when a player lands on a game space, ranging from mini-game battles for opponents' coins to the chance to get free items from either Baby Bowser or Toad. After each turn (a turn ends once every player has rolled the die), a 1 vs. 3, 2 vs. 2, or free-for-all mini-game is played where the winning competitor or team walks away with a number of gold coins. The mini-games are the heart and soul of Mario Party, with the die-throwing and random events acting more or less as filler between the frantic mini-games.

The game boasts over 70 mini-games, though players will probably grow fond of about half that amount while groaning every time one of the less enjoyable ones is selected (mini-games are randomly chosen by the computer). Mario Party is the epitome of mindless fun. While a person's performance in the various mini-games certainly puts them in good stead to win, a single random event can turn the tide of a game by switching stars between players or something equally nasty that sees a player go from first to last in no time at all.

New to the series is the Duel Mode. Here, two players move around a board claiming spaces as they go. Should you land on an opponent's space you are forced to give them coins (and vice versa), while landing on your own will grant you a few coins. What makes this mode stand out from the standard Battle Royal Mode is that each player is accompanied by a partner-for-hire who will serve as the player's primary form of attack and defense should they come into contact with the other player. These partners (of which there are twelve) differ in attack and defense rating as well as their cost per turn to the player.

When coming across an opposing player on the board, your partner will either attack the other character directly, or lash out at his partner (depending on whether the partner is positioned in front or behind the player). Should you not have enough coins to pay your partner after a turn, he will leave, leaving you vulnerable to attack and without any sort of offense of your own. The first player to lose all of his heart pieces is the loser. Unlike the Battle Royal Mode, mini-games are only played when a player lands on a mini-game space, meaning that games go a lot faster than they do when played in Battle Royal Mode.

Character models are pretty much the same as they've been since the first game, while the boards now sport a few interactive elements. The mini-games themselves look good enough, while again doing nothing out of the ordinary. The sound consists of the sort of character voices and cute melodies you'd expect from a Mario title, but neither proves annoying in the least.

Fans of the series should buy Mario Party 3 just to experience the new mini-games offered, while newcomers should be advised that this is probably the most enjoyable title yet, and a good place to start should you have missed out on any of the earlier iterations. Just remember that much like the two titles before it, Mario Party 3 provides less enjoyment when played by fewer than four people. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

Decent character models and cute board designs. Minimal special effects and little that really does anything above average. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

Platformer-esque tunes that are nothing special but certainly won't annoy you. And that's a good thing considering you spend the majority of your time on the game board. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

With four players, the game can be a lot of fun, even if some of the mini-games become a chore to play. It's not as enjoyable to play alone. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

If you've got a group of willing friends, this cartridge will be played over and over again for days at a time. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide