…I recommend the Professor Layton games on the DS.
I grew up with puzzles books and 3D puzzles, my mom loved them mainly and spread the love to the kids.
They are fun, little mysteries, incorporate over a hundred little brain benders of various classic types (match moving, logic, lateral thinking), and it’s digestible in little chunks. And, like ALL games should do, gives you a recap of where you were when you last stopped playing.
And guess what? My mom is playing it, too! Nothing like a senior citizen rockin’ on a DS! 🙂
TOMTOMTOM.COM 
jayngo26
September 6, 2009 at 4:36 am
Just bought it today. My wife is already addicted! She played for like 3 hours straight…
elhector
September 10, 2009 at 12:14 am
I really like this game. I bought the DS because of “Hotel Dusk” and because I thought there would be more point-n-click adventure games on it (have you played it btw?). After many years of waiting for something like this, I must say I greatly enjoyed it. Some of the puzzles are typical math problems but presented very nicely, and the mystery setting brings everything together in a cool way. 🙂
Jorpho
September 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Smashing game, that Hotel Dusk. Trace Memory, its predecessor, is similar but not as good, I’m told. And there’s Theresia, a more obscure title.
Pity the Professor Layton games have rather little replay value. Thoroughly decent rentals, however.
Very similar games include Cliff Johnson’s classic puzzlers, available from http://www.fools-errand.com – well worth the trouble of wrestling the Macintosh emulators, thouse.
Aaron Z
September 19, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Those are some of the few games I think make my DS worth keeping. Scribblenauts sounds awesome, but I think I would spend the entire time trying to find things that I couldn’t write.
On an unrelated note: Please please please PLEASE bring back Anachronox in some form! Maybe port it to a next-gen system and offer it up for cheap in the online store.
*sigh* …a man can dream…
tommune
September 21, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Not really… there are something like 22,000 objects in there…. everything from electric eels to tractor beams… it’s surprisingly robust.
Anachronox is a cool universe, but the IP is two companies deep…. not looking so good.
Aaron Z
September 21, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I read a couple of bits about the gameplay in Scribblenauts, and the general feeling was that if you can’t put it in the game, you wouldn’t really care anyway. I’m stocking up on good DS games for January when I get to take my 6 month “vacation” to Baghdad. Things like this keep you sane over there!
Sad to hear that about Anachronox, as well. That remains to this day one of my favorite games of any genre.
tommune
September 22, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Aw thanks, man.
Best of luck over there. My son did a one year tour. Lots of movies, lots of games.
John B
December 22, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Hey, I make an AARDWOLF.
Assos
October 15, 2009 at 2:28 am
anachronox 2.
Jorpho
October 17, 2009 at 5:26 am
Now, now, mentioning Anachronox 2 everywhere isn’t going to change anything.
Hyperspace Delivery Boy, on the other hand…
Aaron Z
October 17, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Wait, that’s NOT how it works? Aw maaan!
Tom: Thanks for the well-wishes! I’ve got a stack of DS games, a 220v power adapter, and a metric ton of books to catch up on.