Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll is the debut of Sega's monkey-fueled puzzle game that tasks you with collecting bananas on insanely twisted boards on the Nintendo DS. Though the franchise originally debuted on the GameCube, it has since taken to all consoles, much like a flock of hyper monkeys spreading out in the forest. This latest incarnation of the series finds poster boy AiAi and the rest of his simian buddies in a touch screen adventure that aims to keep the best elements of the series while making use of the DS's unique features. We had the chance to get an exclusive look at a work-in-progress version of the game to see how the marriage of monkeys and styluses is going. As with all games, monkeys make this better.

　　You know you're in for a special experience when the first thing you see on a game's title screen is a monkey in a red T-shirt saying "Touch me!" as he waves his buttocks at you. The game's modes will mimic the console incarnation and offer two basic modes, single- and multiplayer, which each feature various submodes. The single-player will break down to the main game, a single monkey run through increasingly difficult stages, and party games that will feature several different minigames you've seen in previous entries in the franchise. The multiplayer mode appears to come in two flavors, modes that support multicart play and those that support download play for single cart action. Multicart play will let you host or join a game, while single cart play will let up to four friends download the minigame levels you're competing on.

　　The gameplay itself is exactly like in the previous games. You'll have to navigate an increasingly difficult and imaginatively designed collection of boards to get to the exit. The big twist in Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll is the game's use of the DS touch screen, which lets you control the tilt and pitch of the environment with the stylus. You'll need to do this in order to guide one of the four selectable monkeys to the goal. You'll pick up bananas along the way, which will add to your stock of lives when you collect enough. The version of the game we tried was surprisingly generous with doling out the lives, allowing us to rack up a sizable stock of extras.

　　As for the specifics of the game's control, the touch screen is obviously the main method of working with your monkey. However, you'll also have the option of using the D pad to get the job done. The only catch to this is that the multiplayer games appear to require you to use the stylus to one degree or another. We'll be curious to see if this remains the case when the game finally ships. You'll find the same core Monkey Ball gameplay on the DS as in other iterations.

　　As far as the visuals go, Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll's graphics offer a mix of old and new for the series. The environments feature polygonal courses and 2D backgrounds as always. The big change in this version is that your monkeys are 2D and make use of a new, cartoony look that's big on thick, dark lines. The game moves fast and smoothly already, although we're still getting used to controlling the action with the stylus. The action will play out in the top screen, while you'll use the bottom screen to point over a large representation of your monkey. Sliding your stylus up, down, and sideways will help you guide your monkey. Our incomplete version of the game is still more than a little twitchy when it comes to recognizing what we're doing, so we're hoping things tighten up as development continues, because the idea behind the control is certainly sound.

　　The audio in the game doesn't offer any groundbreaking surprises. You'll hear exactly what you'd expect to hear from a game staring monkeys in balls: catchy tunes and a bevy of shrieks to convey the range of emotions monkeys go through while collecting bananas in large plastic balls. As always, bananas will equal life.

　　Based on this early look, Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll seems to be a promising DS game that could easily retain the charm of its predecessors if its control can be tuned. The core concept is as addictive as ever, and the visuals are solid. If you're a fan of the series or are saddened by the lack of monkeys on your DS, you'll want to keep an eye out for Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll when it ships early next year. Look for more on the game in the coming months.