slow beginning and lack of innovation. Stephen Totilo praised the characters and towns, commenting that the characters have "good senses of humor". He also praised the train travel, commenting that while it feels long to use the train sometimes, it can be fun if players multi-task. He called it one of the five best-looking games for the DS, but criticized some aspects of it, specifically its flute item, which he says can be unusable if players are playing on a train for instance. IGN UK's Matt Wales called it a "stunningly presented package", praising the graphics as "packed with personality". He called its soundtrack one of the "franchise's best audio offerings in ages". The Daily Telegraphs Nick Cowen called it both one of the best DS games of 2009 and the best video game for all ages of 2009, calling it "challenging and fun" and "chock-full of side-quests". The Daily Telegraph also included it as the ninth best Christmas gift for teenagers, while Cowen and fellow writer Tom Hoggins included it as their honourable mentions in their top 10 list of video games for 2009. The Guardians Adam Boult commented that while it wasn't a "huge leap" from Phantom Hourglass, it is "brimming with innovation", strongly recommending it. While he admits that train travel seems restrictive compared to Phantom Hourglass, these restrictions are eventually "put to good use", making traveling an "engaging challenge". Fellow The Guardian writer Greg Howson found Spirit Tracks to be enjoyable, though criticizing the execution of the Spirit Flute. He listed it as his second favourite DS game. USA Todays Jinny Gudmundsen called it an excellent game for kids who enjoy the intellectual challenge of puzzles inside a captivating fantasy story filled with interesting characters. She also commented that kids are able to control both a hero and a heroine. The Independents Rebecca Armstrong called it "endlessly inventive" with "new features galore", citing its usage of the microphone for items. She also called it "pacy, absorbing and very, very playable". Awards and nominations Spirit Tracks was nominated for best handheld game in the Game Developers Choice Awards. It was given the GAME Award of 2009 in the BAFTA through a reader's choice nomination. Nintendo Life named it runner-up for best Nintendo DS game of 2009, and its readers chose it as their runner-up for best game of the year. It was nominated for several DS-related awards,