Game offers all a chance at being a lawyer

There are two ways to become a defense attorney. One way is to pay through the nose and complete three years of law school. The other way is to assume the role of lawyer extraordinaire Phoenix Wright.

His second game for the DS, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All continues the storyline from the previous game while delivering the same clever writing and compelling cases that made the first game a cult hit.

Phoenix Wright, now famous for his ability to prove his clients innocent versus overwhelming odds, defends three new clients as well as his own aide in four intriguing cases full of plot twists and interesting characters. This will be no small matter. The new prosecuting attorney, prodigy Franziska von Karma, is looking to bring down Wright.

He is not fighting alone, with his aides, spirit medium Maya Fey and her cousin Pearl Fey providing assistance and comic relief.

The game plays out in a text adventure style with two parts.

The first part is investigating the crime scene and related areas. The main goal is to talk to witnesses to gather clues and story elements.

Occasionally, those harboring secrets will bring up a "Psyche Lock." By presenting the right evidence, the witness will break down and tell all.

The second part is more dynamic, being the actual trial setting. Here, the player will have to listen to witness testimonies and find contradicting evidence to progress through the story, ultimately ending with the desired "Not Guilty" verdict.

However, presenting the wrong evidence or making other mistakes will make the judge lose his patience. When he's had enough of Wright's antics, it's off to the slammer for the defendant.

The music is very catchy and appropriate for the given situation. Characters have their own theme music, and the mood during exciting parts of the trial is punctuated by accompanying music and shouts of "Objection!" This brings up an interesting feature of this game.

Being able to use the microphone to shout out key phrases pulls the player into the game a little more. It is certainly more entertaining than using the touch screen.

Due to the text-heavy nature of the game, it won't be for people looking for instant action. The game is very well-written and peppered with smart pop-culture references, so those who do like this kind of game are in for a good time.

The only real downside is the fact that once the game is complete, there is not much to motivate replaying the game. However, it is very possible to treat this game as a book, an enjoyable experience to revisit every few months or so.

There is also the first game for those who want more cases and to learn more on the back story of the characters.

Overall, JFA is a compelling, memorable experience.