April 1, 2008 6:18AM

Diversions

By Alexis Glick

Nintendo DSs! Do you know what they are? I do now. Didn’t until recently. My oldest son is six and everywhere you look kids are popping up with them. On a recent weekend trip to Disney World, when we were stuck in the airport for five hours, my husband bit the bullet and bought one for each of my older sons (against my will). We agreed that they would only be used while traveling in airports or in “extreme” situations. I intend to be a stickler on that!

Yes, the picture and game quality are amazing. Yes, they do pass time and, yes, kids and adults LOVE them. Why not? They’re fun and pretty amazing little pieces of technology.  BUT, just me, I believe they should only be used in small doses, particularly with young kids, who can and do get addicted to them! I hear stories now about kids who have another kid over for a play date and all they do is play video games. No wonder obesity is a problem with America’s youth!

OK, enough ranting and raving! I really meant to blog about two things, the latest craze in the gaming world and a great new book that I started reading while on vacation.

The gaming world is buzzing BIG TIME about the recent announcement by Activision that they will release “Guitar Hero: On Tour” for Nintendo DS.  A dream come true for all of those die hard “Guitar Hero” fans! It will include a plug-in accessory and a fake guitar pick. It’s expected to come out this summer. If the sale of the game on consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is any indication of its success, it will be HUGE!! The “Guitar Hero” franchise has brought in more than $1 billion dollars since it was launched in 2005. Imagine rocking out on your DS anywhere, anytime! What’s your favorite song to rock out to?

“The Appeal,” John Grisham’s latest novel, is terrific! I started reading it while on vacation. Still haven’t finished it. You remember John Grisham right? The author of books like “Time to Kill,” “The Firm,” and “The Pelican Brief.” Don’t miss this one. Full of suspense, greed and court room drama! It’s all about how politics and business, in this case Wall Street, work together to make the rich, richer and the poor, poorer. Here is a brief description from Random House.

“In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst ‘cancer cluster’ in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.

“Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

“The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.”

If you want to learn more about it you can go to the Random House link. I highly recommend it!

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385515047.