Telling more than time
Early in the game, your character will receive a Pokewatch, a handy digital watch that fills the lower screen while you explore. While the Pokewatch starts with only a handful of applications, there are a total of 20 to collect. These include useful functions like berry growth, Pokemon breeding monitors and an interactive map to track running Pokemon. Basics - like a display of your Pokemon party's health, a notepad and a coin toss - are also covered.
Above: The new Global Trading System allows gamers to advertise Pokemon for swaps via WiFi
Plumbing the depths
Beneath the Shinou region, where Diamond and Pearl are set, is another world... a subterranean series of tunnels known as the Shinou Underground. Using a Spelunking Set, you can delve into the Underground at any time to uncover items and build a base.
The primary Underground activity is hunting for gems and other items in the cave walls. The goal is to use your hammer and chisel to uncover the items buried beneath the rock in as few strikes of the stylus on the touch-screen as possible; you can only strike so many times before the wall collapses.
You'll mostly find gems of varying size which can be traded for items to furnish your base but you'll also find evolution stones and other rare items to improve your Pokemon. Perhaps most importantly, you'll find the fossilised remains of ancient Pokemon that can be revived by the local geneticist to complement your fighting force.
The Underground has local wireless play, letting you and any nearby friends discover each others' bases, show off your own, compete for mining locations and even lay traps to mess your friends up.
