We've seen Games of Life before on handhelds, but it's nice to have options, especially for a game as complex (or perhaps "entrancing" is the proper word) as this. Jeremy Ruten, a.k.a. Elektro_Plankton, has come out with a new Game of LIfe simulator which he calls DSlife 3.

For those who don't know what a Game of Life is all about, here's a quick explanation. The Game of LIfe is a cellular automaton, essentially a grid of cells where certain states occur. In the case of the Game of Life, you have the "Alive" state, represented by black cells, and a "Dead" state, represented by white cells.

The Game of Life then plays itself out automatically, following predetermined rules set by the person in charge. As it happens, the Game of Life creates Alive and Dead states for varying cells depending on which cells are Alive or Dead at the start and according to the rules set up..

In the case of DSlife, here are the features you can expect from it:

* 256x192 array of life (same dimensions as the resolution of the DS screen.)
* Zoom in 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x.
* At zoom levels >=4, a grid is displayed.
* Draw life while the simulation is running.
* Change the rules to whatever you want.

Perhaps the most interesting addition to this Game of Life simulator is the fact that you can change the rules governing the creation of Alive and Dead states. This allows you to create patterns using the game, if you're skilled at operating the Game of Life.