Pros: Games, Life, Durability, Ease of Use
Cons: Stylus issues....
The bottom line: I would definitely recommend this game system for anyone over 5 to adulthood.
My son asked for this game system for Christmas this year. He had a Game Boy Advance, but was definitely looking for more games and better graphics. He did very well with the Game Boy, which he got when he was 4, so we decided to spend the money to buy his a DS at 5. I realized later that what he really wanted was a DS Lite, but he absolutely loves the DS. He has had the DS for about 7 months and plays his games almost every day.
He has learned quite a bit of responsibility with this game as he has to keep up with the stylus. The DS Lite stylus does not fit into the stylus holder on the original DS, and finding the original stylus has become very difficult. Other than the stylus issue, the DS has been great. There are so many games to buy and even the new ones are not bad. They are what we consider BIG gifts at around $30.00 to $40.00 per new game.
Now that he is in school, we earn games per report card. If you go to your nearest Game Stop or other used games store, you will find there is a very good range of games in the $5.00 to 20.00 range that make good rewards for perfect or near perfect report cards.
I would recommend the DS for a child over the age of 5, that is responsible for his or her own belongings. The DS will hold up to must drops and mishaps, but could be broken with mishandling. It also has great games at a reasonable price.