Friday Freebie

It's that time of the week again: a free lunch may be a thing of mystical conceit, but the lesser known proverb 'there is such a thing as free content for handheld devices' is as true now as it was when we made it up less than two minutes ago.

For proof that our sage-like warblings are not completely unfounded, see below for this weeks cool stuff sans money, or the Friday Freebie as we here at Pocket Gamer like to call it.

Web-based Professor Layton DS demo

First out of the gate this week is a web based demo of the forthcoming DS mystery-'em-up Professor Layton.

The downside is that the demo is all in Japanese, so unless you're well-versed in the tongue of the rising sun, the plot will be lost on you (as it was on me).

However, the gorgeous studio Ghibli stylings and the enchanting (if slightly repetitive) music do leave a lasting impression of the atmosphere this title is steeped in. The demo is short, but the mini game/ puzzle provided will have you scratching your head at least once.

Namco offer free demo of new mobile movie trivia game

The most popular DVD game in the mediaverse has recently been granted a mobile port. Scene It? from Namco is a movie trivia game, with a series of questions based on movie and audio clips from many a memorable silver screen moment.

To celebrate the mobile launch, Namco is offering a free demo of the game to users of compatible phones. Great pub game no doubt, providing an inebriated friend doesn't drop your new handset into a pint of bitter.

Details on how to download the free demo are available via Namco's mobile site.

Another free PSP demo arrives Last up this week is a reminder of some freebie racing goodness in the form of TOCA Race Driver 3 for the PSP we covered at the tail end of last week.

The official PSP site is really getting its act together just now, and the sporadic flurries of slightly out-of-date demos are levelling out into a much more agreeable steady trickle. The TOCA demo, which was released last week in advance of the game, which is released today, offers a generous helping of three different race types, each in a different racing vehicle respectively.

Hopefully the size and the timing of this demo is a sign of how the PSP download service will operate in the future.

Okay, that's yer lot for this week folks. Check back seven days from now for more opportunities to get in touch with your inner skin flint (click 'Track It!' for a reminder).