With the North American release of the extra large Nintendo DSi XL coming this spring, now's a good time to assess which titles will most benefit from the new device's nearly 4.25" wide dual screens. The size increase may give players easier access to any title, but certain games will especially improve with the added viewing space and a more ergonomic stylus. To that end, there are a few key gaming franchises the casual gamer may want to give a shot on the new console. Keep reading on to consider some series that are ripe for the XL treatment.

5. The Cooking Mama Series
The attraction of the Cooking Mama games comes from manipulating common (and sometimes not-so-common) kitchen tools and ingredients in a way that, even if not completely accurate, makes preparing meals seem fun. So why slave over a hot stove in a cramped kitchen? The DSi XL can take the magic of Cooking Mama and increase it exponentially by giving players a beefier stylus (that can actually be held like a kitchen utensil) and more screen room to move around. This new experience could provide gamers with more natural feeling stirring, chopping, flipping and grinding as they strive to complete even the most advanced recipes.

4. The Puzzler World Series
When it comes to puzzle games, seeing is solving. Having to squint or continually zoom in or out of a given puzzle doesn't make for simple gameplay and can often lead to frustration. Fortunately for fans of the genre, the DSi XL could aid the addled eyes of hardcore crossword cravers, Sudoku solvers, Hangman savers and Jigsaw puzzlers. Even games like Word Search would become more accessible with a wider viewing plane, allowing gamers of all ages to make faster connections and concentrate harder on playing than trying to navigate a compact gaming frame.

3. The Professor Layton Series
Whether Professor Layton is adventuring in curious villages or with dealing with diabolical boxes, readers always follow his pursuits with scrolling text. Reading along is simple enough for most gamers, but it could come even easier with the aid of enlarged letters. Furthermore, the title's many brain teasers might be more quickly examined and solved without the use of hints if players could take a closer look at the in-game action on a broader screen. They wouldn't want to rush through the games, of course, especially while waiting for new English localizations of the game's expansive Japanese offerings, but the satisfaction of helping the professor save the day might be even better on a bigger device.

2. The Drawn To Life Series
Though a healthy portion of the Drawn To Life series is played as a side-scrolling action game, the real magic of the title is expressed when gamers illustrate its key elements. From the game's initial world-building drawings to its protagonist-designing segments, Drawn To Life calls for customization at nearly every turn. Those who relish putting their mark on the their gaming experience could not only have more precise control over which pixels they color thanks to an easier-to-hold stylus, but also an easier time navigating between the zoomed segments of their task-at-hand. The results might please fans who have already played through the series on Nintendo's previous DS models, but even newcomers could appreciate improved illustration capabilities.

1. The Brian Age Series
One of the DS' most celebrated educational titles, the Brain Age games rely on a number of the features unique to their console of choice. After all, the dual-screens allow for multiple orientations and its stylus gives players the ability to write and draw as naturally as they would with a pen and paper. Adapting that capability to an even larger device has one potential downside as its increased overall weight might discourage some players from holding it the same way they'd hold the lighter DSi. But the benefits likely literally outweigh this model's disparity in heaviness. Given that Brain Age has been popularized as a way for people to keep their minds agile, a larger viewing screen would help those with aging eyes more easily focus on the DSi XL's backlit screen. More focused players could do better in the various math games, read text out loud efficiently and master the other activities that calculate a person's "brain age." It's too early to say for sure how much the game's target audience might directly benefit from the DSi XL, but it's possible that playing on the new console could further augment the game's tagline and give casual gamers an even better way to train their brains in minutes a day.