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New Harvest Moon DS details

More cud for your cash.

There's some great news for all those fantasy farmers eagerly awaiting the arrival of Harvest Moon on the DS, as new details emerge about a rack of additional features and functions to be included in the dual-screen debut.

Rather than resting on their laurels and churning out another GBA title with minimal improvements, the return to Forget-Me-Not Valley is going to be celebrated by a wealth of new additions to everyone's favourite rural RPG.

According to a recent article in Nintendo Power magazine, the dual screen technology is going to be put to good effect in Harvest Moon, allowing players to search for items in town on the bottom screen, while still undertaking those all-important daily chores in the top screen. A bit like having a clone to help you out with menial labour, we imagine - something we've all dreamed about.

You'll also be able to show your animals that extra bit of love and attention, making use of the touch screen to shear sheep, milk cows, and give all your furry friends a little petting to let them know you care. Aww, bless!

New tasks include saving 101 Harvest Sprites and the Harvest Goddess from their other-worldly banishment at the hands of the evil Witch Princess, and if you fancy a dabble in the dark arts yourself, why not forget about the local ladies and try wooing a witch while you weed? They're perfectly amenable to marriage, apparently.

There's also the option to hire Harvest Sprites to work for you, a new casino offering Blackjack and Poker in place of the horse racing, and a few little tricks to make your life easier, such as being able to save anywhere, purchase a teleport stone early on from the casino, and order shop goods by phone without trekking around from store to store.

And while there's plenty of home grown goodness to chew on there, unfortunately, there's still no firmer release date than summer, so you're just going to have to wait. Sorry.