20. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)

Professor Layton and the Curious Village was the first in the puzzle-solving detective series to introduce the world to the titular professor and Luke, the professor's apprentice and very own Watson. Level-5's series brought in a whole new audience of gamers with its particular brand of mysterious adventure, great characters and writing to match. It was games like this that opened up video gaming to an audience who had previously thought it wasn't for them and the franchise's continued success proves it wasn't a fluky one-off. The sequels refined the formula, but it was pretty much perfect right off the bat.

19. Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS)

Advance Wars: Dual Strike isn't hugely different to its two GBA predecessors, and at times it can feel like a new 'mission pack', but when the base experience is this good, that's no bad thing. Additions such as having two CO characters in a battle enable you to fight on two fronts and add extra variety. Survival and Combatmodes add to the replayability, ensuring that like its predecessors there's plenty to keep you occupied.

This was the penultimate outing for the 'Wars' series on DS; the 2008 sequel Advance Wars: Days of Ruin was the last time Intelligent Systems took to the battlefield in a game that didn't have 'Fire Emblem' in the title. With the release of the fabulous Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the developer has another strategy hit on its hands, but we'd still love to see a return of the Wars series someday. Until then, we'll have to make do with returning to previous entries, including this gem.

18. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS)

A game made exclusively for Nintendo DS, sometimes you can't help but marvel at how developers are somehow able to squeeze home console-sized RPG epics onto tiny handheld systems with the most modest of specs, and Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies stands as an impressive feat. Boasting a wealth of new gameplay features, Wi-Fi compatibility and multiplayer action as well, this remains a significant milestone in portable gaming and helped increase western interest in this hallowed Japanese RPG series.

17. Pokémon Black and White (DS)

Pokémon Black and White may not have the added nostalgia of HeartGold and SoulSilver, but they're up there with some of the best in the series. What they lack in links to the past they gain by recreating the sense of discovery felt when embarking on that first Pokémon journey.

Black and White arguably suffer in reputation from being the only games in the series (thus far) to have direct numbered sequels set in the same region (albeit visiting new locations). Despite being shoved to the back of the queue in some people's minds, these introductions to Gen V are still fantastic games and well worth revisiting.

16. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)

Alpha Dream created a fantastic take on the Super Mario RPG idea years ago on Game Boy Advance, but they took the concept to new heights with Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. The third title in the Mario & Luigi series, it would be easy to rave on and on about the game, but the best way to sum everything up would be to say Bowser's Inside Story is the kind of game that will remind you why you love playing video games in the first place. It's easily one of the best DS releases and although it received a 3DS update that we'd probably take in a straight contest, you really can't go wrong with either version. If this one passed you by, we recommend you get intimately acquainted with the King of the Koopas pronto.

15. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (DS)

Coming from the mind of Shu Takumi, the main developer responsible for Phoenix Wright (and his Japanese voice), Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective equals, and arguably surpasses, the quality of the lawyer's many games. It has a few issues towards the end with some of the puzzles requiring a few leaps in lateral thinking (particularly when controlling multiple characters with different abilities), but Ghost Trick is a perfect showcase of what the Nintendo DS could accomplish with the right design. Making use of the system's stylus to latch onto object cores and ultimately recover the deceased protagonist's memory, it's still a delight to play, with a dramatic, jazzy soundtrack and a story that continues to surprise until the end. It may be crammed full of tricks, but this is still an absolute treat.

14. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (DS)

999 blends interactive novel elements with a digital escape room to stunning effect. It sports a captivating plot driven by a fantastic cast of characters, a satisfying mix of puzzles and mathematical, scientific and philosophical quandaries to ponder. While the third person descriptive prose might be lacking and solving the same unchanging escape sections repeatedly can become a bit of a bore, it's too compelling not to play through multiple times to see the "true" ending. The game more than makes up for its imperfections and creates a truly gripping experience that you owe it to yourself to try.

13. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)

The Nintendo DS trilogy of Metroidvanias is rounded off by this offering, which features a female protagonist and a structure that calls to mind the likes of Simon's Quest. Ayami Kojima wasn't hired to do character designs but replacement Masaki Hirooka does a good job of mimicking the style, avoiding the anime-like art seen in the previous two DS adventures. Order of Ecclesia was something of a divisive release at the time; many hailed it as the best of the DS trio, while others bemoaned the fact that the format had become very stale by this point, and that Ecclesia was too reliant on quests and its map was too disjointed to be satisfying to explore. Over time, it has become one of the most well-respected of the handheld Castlevanias and is worth a look if you can pick it up for a reasonable price.

12. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS)

Given the amazing critical response to Aria of Sorrow on the GBA, it made sense for Konami to create a sequel for Nintendo's new handheld, the DS. Dawn of Sorrow feels very much like Aria but on steroids; the visuals are massively improved and are much closer to those seen in Symphony of the Night, while Masahiko Kimura (Castlevania 64)'s soundtrack is also much more refined (even if it's not quite up there with the best of the franchise). The 'Soul' system from Aria makes a return and the game is impressively proportioned, but the technical gimmicks – such as having to draw seals on the touch screen to kill bosses and the WiFi system (which is now unavailable as Nintendo has taken the DS' wireless portal offline) – don't add much to the experience. It's also a shame that Ayami Kojima wasn't invited back to do the character artwork; instead, we get a very basic 'anime' cast of characters that lack charm. Despite its shortcomings – and the feeling that the whole 'Metroidvania' template is growing stale by this point – Dawn of Sorrow is still an excellent game.

11. Pokémon Black and White 2 (DS)

Those who brushed Pokémon Black and White 2 off as simply more of the same at the time were sorely mistaken. On a superficial level the Pokémon games have not changed much, and for good reason; the foundation that was placed way back in Pokémon Red and Blue was incredibly solid and engaging from the off. By adding more around it and tweaking things under the hood, the series has grown far beyond its humble monochromatic origins even if the pace of change is a little more glacial than some would like.

The naming of these entries, their status as the first 'direct' sequels in the franchise, and the fact that they weren't being released on the then-new 3DS console arguably did these games a disservice and masked their greatness. Make no mistake though, these are two of the finest games in the series.