The Nintendo DS was the first Nintendo handheld system to feature a touchscreen. This brought new gameplay, but it also added another system part susceptible to scratches. If you're like me, you keep your equipment in pristine condition. I'm borderline fanatical about it, cringing at the very thought of scratching my DS and wiping fingerprints off of it like a museum curator. I managed to keep my original DS in pretty good shape, but even my kid gloves couldn't prevent the touchscreen from getting small scratches all over it. I always regretted not buying a screen protector at the very beginning, so when I bought my DS Lite I vowed not to go without one. I knew some of my fellow PGC staffers had already imported DS Lites, so I polled them for suggestions. Our man in Japan, Josh Daugherty, suggested I try the Liquid Crystal Filter by Hori. Since Hori products aren't available in North America, I figured I'd import it from our friends at Lik-Sang and see it was as good as he claimed.

Hori makes officially-licensed products for Nintendo. However, it's not your run-of-the-mill third-party stuff, because its quality rivals that of products made by Nintendo themselves. I tend to shy away from gaming products made by anybody but the big N, because I'm usually disappointed by mediocre quality. With the Liquid Crystal Filter, you get a feeling that it's a quality product right off the bat. Removing it from its plastic wrapping, you'll find two plastic sheets: a larger one for the top screen, and a slightly smaller one for the touchscreen. Also included is what I can only guess is a lint cloth, which I didn't use much because it isn't very effective. Still, it's a nice touch, and shows that Hori puts some thought into the problems its users might encounter.

Applying them couldn't be simpler. Each filter sheet has protective plastic on its top and bottom, with each layer having a pull tab at one end. The idea is to remove the protective layer from the adhesive bottom of by pulling its tab, pressing the screen protector onto the DS screen, and then lifting off the top layer by pulling on its tab. This "tab system" sounds simple, but it shouldn't be taken for granted. I once put a screen protector on my PSP that didn't have any such tabs, and having to separate the protective layer from the screen protector was a maddening experience. I really appreciated this simple but effective addition to the process.

Of course, all of this only gets you to the point of application; it doesn't guarantee that you'll do a good job of it. When applying the screen protectors, I can report my experience is no worse or better than what I've had with other screen protectors. In short, lint and dust are your enemies. If even the smallest piece of lint gets under your protector as you stick it onto the DS screen, it'll show up as an unsightly air pocket. With that in mind, don't apply screen protectors in a dusty area and avoid ceiling and table fans. Anything that gets particles flying around in the air will only make your job more difficult. You must apply the filter lightning-fast and then smooth the air bubbles (you're guaranteed to get a few) out with a straight-edge like a credit card. There's a certain technique to it, and don't be surprised if you have to pull off a screen protector with some Scotch tape and re-apply it before you

get optimal results.

Now that I've told you what to do, I can tell you what NOT to do. I applied the top screen first, since it needs protection the least and I could live

without it if I totally screwed it up. And guess what? That's exactly what I did. My first attempt went fairly well, with only a couple of small air

bubbles left from lint that had gotten trapped between the protector and the DS screen. In retrospect, the job that I'd done was completely acceptable - the air bubbles wouldn't have bothered me in the least. But like a gambling addict that should have cashed in his chips while he was ahead, I had to give it one more try to make it perfect. So I got out some tape, pulled the protector off the screen, and tried again. This time I had more lint bubbles. That

wouldn't do, so I tried it again. This time, some lint had actually stuck to the adhesive bottom of the screen, so I had to figure out some way to wipe it off, and the lint cloth was already choked with lint. My bright idea was to wash the line off with water. Bad move. Once the water's on there you get this film that can't be removed unless it's polished off with a towel or something, so I used a towel...and that was the end of it. The adhesive side of the screen protector was now totally covered in lint and pretty much useless. I tossed it in the garbage and moved on to the bottom screen, with the knowledge that I'd likely have to accept a few lint bubbles. I applied it, and yeah there's a few lint bubbles, but nothing bothersome. It's a tradeoff I'm willing to make in order to keep my DS touchscreen scratch-free.

But no matter how easy it is to apply, what really matters is whether or not the Liquid Crystal Filter affects the use of the touchscreen. My main concern was that it would make the touchscreen less sensitive, and that I'd have to press harder during gameplay to compensate for it. Thankfully, this isn't the case. While playing games controlled with the stylus, such as Animal Crossing: Wild World, the difference between playing with or without the screen protector is negligible; the touchscreen feels equally responsive either way. Playing with the thumbstrap does feel slightly different, however. Because the plastic on the screen protector isn't as slippery as the plastic on the DS touchscreen, controlling a game like Metroid Prime: Hunters feels a little more "sticky". It doesn't interfere with gameplay, but it does take a little getting used to. I always thought the thumbstrap nub slid around a bit too much on the DS screen for my liking, so having a little bit of extra grip suits me just fine.

There's also virtually no effect on screen brightness. Since my hatchet job resulted in my DS having a Liquid Crystal Filter applied to the bottom screen but not the top, I have a unique "before and after" scenario to look at. When comparing the two screens side-by-side, you can tell that the touchscreen has the screen protector on it, but only if you look closely. The results are excellent.

I did manage to scratch the touchscreen protector with the thumbstrap while playing Metroid Prime: Hunters, so the filter isn't bulletproof. However, the thumbstrap places the most stress on the touchscreen, and under the circumstances it performed as well as I'd expect. During normal gameplay with the stylus it suffered no ill effects.

Overall, the Hori Liquid Crystal Filter is a great product that I'd recommend to any DS Lite owner. It's easy to install, has no affect on stylus gameplay, and doesn't affect screen brightness. Most importantly, it's cheap - less than ten

bucks at Lik-Sang. It makes thumbstrap control a little stickier because its plastic isn't as slippery as the DS touch screen, but the difference is slight and makes for a very easy adjustment. Getting it free of lint bubbles can be tricky, but once Hori's Liquid Crystal Filters are applied, you'll wonder how you managed without them.