EA Playground hopscotches onto the DS

We would hate to encourage today's yoof to become a legion of pasty-faced, square-eyed zombies who recoil in horror at the sight of sunlight. There are, however, times when playing a game indoors is a welcome alternative to braving the wet pavements and parks for a kick about or a game of dodgeball. And of course you can play handheld games inside or outside, if not in the full glare of the sun.

Anyway, EA Playground, Electronic Arts' new title for the DS (and the Wii, we're told) could be just the thing for a rainy afternoon, as it promises to spill all of the joys of the playground across Nintendo's twin-screened machine.

Decidedly casual in terms of gameplay, EA Playground is set as you'd expect in a playground. It will feature a selection of classic childhood games, including tetherball, dodgeball and the more mischievous sounding spitball (ask a passing American...).

Each of the games revealed so far is set to utilise at least one of the DS's special features, with spitballs controlled by blowing into the mic and dodgeball offering the ability to play against family and friends (via wi-fi, we assume). There is a lot to explore in the gameworld, too, according to EA, with various madcap characters to interact with and new games and abilities to unlock along the way.

So far EA Playground sounds like an even more casual take on outdoor larking than Nintendo's Wii Sports; if executed well, it could be a perfect fit for the smaller console. Click 'Track It!' to stay on top of any updates.