I thought this game was gonna be easy. I had the original on the N64 and have all 120 stars on that game. This is very different.

You will start as Yoshi, a great all round character, however he has no wall kick feature and cannot pick up and carry things or punch. He can however eat things and turn them into eggs.

My first tip is to unlock Mario as quickly as possible. To do this gain 8 stars from anywhere you can. Then enter the games room upstairs and jump into the Mario painting. Complete the level found there and rescue Mario. This level also contains 8 red coins which can be used to gain a further star.

USe Mario from then on to get as many stars as you can and avoid anything he is not suited to. Luigi and Wario now need to be unlocked. Luigi is in Boo's Mansion and Wario can be found later on in the mirror rooms where snowmans land is found.

Mario cannot turn invisible or break black bricks. You will need other charcters for these tasks.

Get all the characters as soon as you can. Make this your first priority and then your progress will be much easier. Mario is the best character generally and he is a must for some tricky jobs that require wall kicks for example.

To melt blocks of ice on the snow levels get Yoshi to eat a power flower or see if you can find a fire anywhere on the level. Yoshi can eat fire without taking damage.

Also don't forget to hit the red "!" switch found by getting 10 stars then looking up in the castle lobby. Stomp on the big red switch to fill in all the "!" blocks and give your characters their special powers, this will help you even more.

You get a start for collecting 100 coins on each level. This is a great way to get some easy coins early on. Hazy Maze Cave and Dire Dire Docks are very hard to get 100 coins on.

Tick Tock Clock. You can stop the clock moving by entering the clock on an hour. This is essential for some stars and handy for some others. Note some stars cannot be obtained with the clock stopped.

A very easy star for you guys, Big Boos Haunt, 100 coins is very easy, all ghosts when killed drop 5 coins. There is also a blue star block in the attic. 100 coins should take you 10 minutes tops.

A castle secret star involves completing the princesses secret slide in under 21 seconds. As you go down the slide make sure that Mario is leaning forward for speed and take the corners tight, also a, long jump over the start line helps. Wario is too slow !

More soon guys and gals....

I have played this game extensively. I have compiled the following list of hints and tips for this great game.

Firstly don't try and run before you can walk. Try all courses on 50cc level first. It is important you learn how the karts handle and the tricks the computer is likely to use against you.

Red shells are the ultimate weapon. Use them wisely. Avoid firing them to close to walls, this should help you avoid wasting them by smashing them against hard objects.

After very extensive racing both against the computer on 150cc, my friends and people around the globe via the WIFI connection I have deduced that Luigi in his special kart (the one that looks like a vaccuum cleaner) is the best kart for racing. It hugs the track like no other.

For battle mode however I recommend Mario as he is a better all rounder and cannot be spun out by heavier karts. Luigi, Peach, The Princess, Toad and Yoshi are all to light for battles. Bowser, DK and Wario would be the best for battles, but can you accept the awful handling ???

Don't always use the speed boost ramps and patches on the track they can sometimes be decoys and land you in hot lava, deep snow and the sea ! This will add at least 10 seconds to your lap.

Try courses on Time Trail mode first. This will allow you to learn courses and maybe find a sneaky shortcut or two ?

Learn the fast start tactic. Begin to hold the accelerator just as the number 2 disappears. This will give you a fast start. This can make all the difference in 150cc.

Learn the turbo cornering move. Slide around the corners whilst pressing left right, left right repeatedly. Orange sparks will fly from your wheels and give you a fast exit from the corner.

Be aggressive, the computer will not take prisoners at 100cc and 150cc level.

Use the brakes ! Sometimes tracks are better taken slowly, this avoids nasty drops and sometimes getting crushed.

After you have completed all the retro and nitro cups on 100cc level you will be rewarded with not only Waluigi as a charcter choice but also you will gain 3 karts for every character. They do not seem to be of much benefit, but they do look cool.

This guide is mainly pointers, I have not got room on Squidoo for a step by step walk through. My top seven tips for this game are as follows.

1. Remember that you cannot save your game at any time, you must complete a castle or spend star coins to be given the option to save. Try and pick you playing time accordingly. You can always put your DS into sleep mode by shutting the lid if you get caught out at a critical moment.

2. Use you reserve power up wisely, if you don't really need it don't use it. It may save you later on.

3. Use the right power up at the right time. Don't for example use a mega mushroom indoors or underwater. Save it for the nice open levels.

4. Always go for Star Coins. They can be spent on some cool shortcuts and to obtain much needed power ups later in the game.

5. Always collect normal coins and extra lives. You will need all the lives you can get for world 8.

6. Learn and master all the moves early on. The wall jump is used a lot in the later levels so master it.

7. Always aim to get a high position on the flag pole at the end of the level, you can earn mega points and useful extra lives this way.