One of the major advantages of owning a DSi or a new DSi XL is the exclusive DSi Shop where players can download new DSiWare games from $2, $5 and $8 (or in Nintendo speak, 200, 500 and 800 Nintendo Points). Cheaper than new games, the games might lack the hours of play that a Pokemon game offers but with lower prices and no DS cartridges to lose, DSiWare games are well worth it. Here are the Best 6 DSiWare Games of 2010 (so far)… and, of course, all are rated E for Everyone’s enjoyment.

Let’s Golf — 800 Points

Pick up and play golf without the miniature slant is how Let’s Golf rolls. Rather than focus on lifelike gameplay, players hit three different courses in cartoon style with four characters. While Let’s Golf is related to the game of the same name for cell phones and iPhone, the DSiWare version features a way to add your face to the game and a hilarious way to spin the ball — by blowing into the DSi’s microphone (watch out for those spitballs). Younger kids will have to need a little help with the tutorial but once that’s done, Let’s Golf is pretty straight forward gameplay that covers over 40 holes on Fiji Beach, English Countryside and Scottish Lochs courses.

Flight Control — 500 Points

One game single handedly changed everyone’s mind about seeking employment as a air traffic controller by making it addictively fun. In Flight Control, players are given one to three airstrips and helicopter pads to which they’ll need to draw flight path lines from the tip of each aircraft to their respective landing area. Of course, doing so early in the game is easy. Larger craft are faster, helicopters are painfully slow and when there are multiple craft coming in from every angle, knowing that one single crash means game over is enough to give commoners a taste of stress. Yet, with airport-style elevator music, bright and colorful maps with an early day of flight feel, Flight Control is one of those games that your kids won’t depart from anytime soon.

Mr. Driller Drill Till You Drop — 500 Points

The newest addition to the DSiWare plate, this easily accessible yet challenging puzzler is highly recommended. Players control Mr. Driller who gains points for drilling away colored cubes in order to go deeper underground. Of course, drilling comes with its own hazards as other blocks become dislodged and fall ever downward. Move fast, drill more and avoid the falling blocks to gain more bonus points and oxygen tanks. The Driller series has always been popular with the international gaming world, and whether you’re a returning vet or looking to introduce your kids to a their next favorite game, Mr. Driller is waiting.

Aura Aura Climber – 200 Points

Created by Nintendo, Aura-Aura Climber is easy to understand, the player helps a little sparkling creature back into space to shine with the stars. At first it’s as easy as pointing in a direction, pressing A to grapple onto planets and using them as lily pads until the next jump. The game does get harder with side grapples, double jumps, purple objects that take away health and reduces time on the clock. Costing a mere 200 Points ($2), Aura-Aura Climber is easily recommendable for easy to play controls and a smooth escalation of challenge as players climb up into the heavens and hours of play.

Faceez — 200 Points

Kids want the DSi for one major reason; they’re addicted to taking pictures (if you don’t believe us, look on the DSi). Faceez lets kids take pictures of their faces in order to create humorous and animated characters with hats, facial hair, Mohawks, eye patches and more. There’s even an option to create smaller versions of newly created Faceez characters and place them into pre-existing images. It’s just the type of stuff that could turn your little gamer player into a photographic genius. Once done, you can upload such creations to your Facebook account (don’t save your password since they could do some serious photo damage). For just $2, Faceez is an inexpensive and creative tool for any age.

Disney Fireworks — 800 Points

Launching fireworks in five worlds from Aladdin, Lilo & Stitch Peter Pan Magic Kingdom and Fantasia is easy for the under 10 player. Players choose their level and launch red, yellow and blue rockets into the sky by flicking their stylus, aiming for fireworks as they grow into stars. While the stars only show for a few seconds, they’ll need to time their rocket launches in order to gain the star points. With 15 levels that do get harder and the world themes only set up the backdrop of each level, Disney Fireworks is a great game for bettering hand-eye coordination. While a 500 Point price would be more sensible for a game that will last probably won’t weeks, the Disney branding here will make kids take notice and enjoy.

Despite the weather reports and all the white stuff outside, spring is coming. And while the rotational axis of the earth glides into the warmer temperatures, March and April school holidays in the U.S. will get families on the road. Yet our youngest family members get bored fast. Thankfully, if they’re already Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi owners, there are ways to keep them occupied and keep those “Are we there yet?” questions at bay. Here are several games that remain in our “Go To” list for when we’re going out of town.

The Pokemon Series – Nintendo’s global success with odd little creature with funny names is also universally popular with kids and adults. With the upcoming U.S. release of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver games on March 14th, fans will be flocking to stores yet again. For parents, Pokemon games are E for Everyone rated and last 10-30 hours. While younger kids might have difficulty with the text heavy portions of the game, early readers get the gist of the game quickly.

New Super Mario Bros – This retelling and redesign of the classic Super Mario Bros. game that many parents may have played as a child brings new moves, new challenges and hours of replayability. That means that even when Mario’s finished butt-stomping Goombas, there’s still more to do.

Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games – Kids loved the recent Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada and Sega’s easy-to-play style combines 27 different, yet challenging events with 20 popular characters from Sonic and Mario along with 20 of their infamous cohorts including Donkey Kong, Tails, Metal Sonic and Bowser.  My six year old would give three thumbs up for this one if he could.

Peggle Dual Shot – Yes, that peg-busting game with the shiny unicorns and rainbows also exists on the DS. It’s the best version yet since the game spans both screens of the DS with the bottom one used to control the aiming device. Stacked with 115+ levels with various levels of challenges and new bonus levels where players gain gems and power-ups, you may find your spouse playing as much as the kids.

LEGO Batman, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones – Kid-friendly LEGO games on the DS are all E-rated adventures that are insanely popular with kids from 6 to 60. Easy to play, very little written information and bloodless action makes these a worthwhile adventure. And with each of the games selling for $14 to $20, they’re easy on the wallet too.

Mario Kart DS – Nintendo’s signature kart racing game brings Mario, Bowser, Prince Peach and the rest of the gang onto the roads in a world of vehicular combat and bumper car fun. Driving is only part of the challenge as other players fight for position. Special abilities, acquired at specific points on the racing tracks let players shoot items like turtle shells at fellow racers. The game is also Wi-Fi enabled which means that by merely owning one copy of the game, up to 8 players can enjoy head-to-head racing — the perfect solution for competitive families.

Insider Tips: Before heading out on the road, consider what you’re going to do about recharging the DS/DSi. The average DS battery life is about 10 hours (DSi runs from 3-18 hours; depending on game, use and screen brightness) but with wear and tear, and when family members forget to charge it; your child’s playing time could be significantly less. So if your child plays a lot, consider buying a carrying case with a built-in rechargeable battery. We use a TekCase for DSi (MSRP: $29.99) that uses a garden variety USB plug to charge, adds more protection for little gaming device and nearly triples playtime. Also, consider buying a set of kid-safe headphones (easily found at Target, Amazon and Toys R Us) that lower the volume and cup their ears instead of having ones that could damage their inner ears. More pricey options like the headphones from Able Planet are also good solutions as their LINX AUDIO technology makes for sharper sounding audio at lower volumes and Kidz Gear’s award-winning Wireless Car Headphones for Kids MSRP: $34.99) cut down on the backseat cable spaghetti.

Happy trails and happy gaming!