Friday 13 October 2006
Ready to catch 'em all? We're about to give you a seriously in-depth look at the latest evolution of the Pokemon series - and its trademark battling beasts. But, if you need an overview of the game, be sure to check part one and - for a look at all of the new features of the DS version - part two of our three part Pokemon Diamond and Pearl special.

New Pokemon traits
Shinou's varied terrain makes it home to 150 different species of Pokemon, 107 of which are new, bringing the total number of Pokemon to an awkward 493. Some of the new Pokemon have a variety of surprising new traits, however.

Many of the Pokemon now have little visual differences that separate males from females. Take our beloved Pikachu, for example - the end of male Pikachu's tail is flat, while the females' tail has small indentations.

Above: A surprising number of the 107 new Pokemon are actually evolutions of older Pokemon

While technically the same species, a few Pokemon have different variants. Karanakushi, a sea slug, is pink or blue depending on where it is caught. Stranger still, the female of the bagworm-esque Pokemon Minomucchi will build itself a new casing if it battles in a new area, and will even evolve differently if it keeps battling in that environment.

A surprising number of the 107 new Pokemon are actually evolutions of older Pokemon, both popular and not so much. These can be evolved using a variety of arcane new methods. Some Pokemon even require combinations of these techniques to evolve.