Casual gamers (and hard-core dorks just looking for a respite), unite! As hopelessly nostalgic and retro (and cheap) as a virtual collection of board, card and ball games might sound on the surface, Clubhouse Games is a great little package for DS owners.

The roster of games is hefty - forty-two in all - and the low- to no-tech gang's all here:

On the board-game menu are those beloved golden moldies like Checkers, Backgammon, Chess, Battleship - er, "Grid Attack" - and various knock-offs and knock-ups of games like Othello and even Parchisi.

The stamp mode for solo players sets players down a gauntlet of one game type after another, with an eye toward unlocking new ones, ensuring that you have at least one crack at every type. While you're essentially forced to tackle and win each game (or give it the old three-strikes try), you'll also be certain to learn the rules of games you might not know - Mahjong, Shogi, etc.

Clubhouse Games also offers no less than 18 card games, from the likes of Memory, Old Maid, Sevens and the daintily-renamed "I Doubt It" to advanced card variants of Blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, Five Card Draw and Contract Bridge. Happily, the rules for each of these games are nicely-presented for the scrolling pleasure of novices.

Mind you, there are some concessions in the casual nature of the collection: Blackjack players cannot, for example, split their cards. Still, it's a solid collection, and if you wanted some serious-in depth gambling action, you probably wouldn't crack open your DS as a first course.

Better still, players who'd like a real, multiplayer session of a game like Bullsh - er, "I Doubt It" - can game with up to four competitors in the same area with only a single game cartridge. Nintendo Wi-Fi is also supported, so you can take on gamers everywhere in the world; there's even a global rank system - plus in-game chat for saying (or drawing) all those unsavory over-the-table, mid-game digs better left unsaid between players.

No "clubhouse game" collection would really be complete without some version of pool, darts and bowling—they're here, they're stylus-based, and they're a bit stripped-down - albeit fluid and enjoyable.

In some of the "mission" modes - usually, time, rank or task-based challenges where the player is asked to perform well in order to progress through the whole range of games - are wildly difficult; the only aspect of the package that flies in the face of its otherwise casual, overall nature.

Still, Clubhouse Games is a proud addition to Nintendo's Touch Generations lineup, and a real gaming value (not to be confused with the misnomer of a "value game") for DS owners seeking variety, simplicity, and a minimum of commitment or game-setup fuss.