Play Dragon Booster Online

Dragon Booster came out for the Nintendo DS in 2005, a Konami title that fit right in with the early DS library's mix of licensed games and experimental uses of the touch screen. It was based on the animated series, so it had that specific mid-2000s feel, a time when a lot of games were trying to figure out what the second screen was actually for.

You control Artha Penn, a young draconium jockey, and your main job is racing your dragon, Beau, through the city of Dragon City to win tournaments and stop a brewing conflict. The core gameplay is racing, but it's broken up by on-foot sections where you use the touch screen to solve simple puzzles or talk to NPCs to advance the story. The racing itself is the focus; you use the stylus to tap and drag on the lower screen to steer, perform drifts, and activate your dragon's special abilities. The controls take some getting used to, and the early races can feel a bit clumsy until you earn upgrades for Beau's speed and handling. It feels like a solid, if slightly awkward, attempt to build a whole game around the DS's unique hardware.