One year and more than 13 million units later, Nintendo remains the king of the hand-held gaming market with its acclaimed Nintendo DS device, ahead of Sony’s PlayStation Portable, which sold a little more than 10 million units.

While the $129 Nintendo DS doesn’t support digital music, movies and photos as with Sony’s pricier PSP ($249), it succeeds in its innovative video games that take advantage of the machine’s two LCD screens (one of which is touch-sensitive), built-in microphone for voice commands and free Wi-Fi for wireless multiplayer gaming over the Net.

Here’s a look at three such innovative Nintendo DS titles now available:

‘Electroplankton’

Created by renowned Japanese electronic artist Toshio Iwai, “Electroplankton” lets you create music by interacting with little “plankton” creatures that each produce a different sound or rhythm when touched with the stylus pen.

You also can speak into the microphone to record your voice and other sounds to create a unique musical composition.

Ten modes are available, including Hanenbow (you can toy with the shape of leaves to see and hear how the plankton bounce off them); Nanocarp (you can make the plankton form shapes by clapping or speaking into the microphone) and Beatnes (plankton play music from popular Nintendo Entertainment System games and remember the additional melodies you play on their heads and bodies).

This odd title isn’t really a game per se, as there’s no goal, score or time restrictions, plus all modes are available to the player right away.

One beef: You cannot save your compositions to play back later. Even still, “Electroplankton” proves to be a curiously addictive fusion of art and science.

‘Lost in Blue’

If you’re a fan of the hit television show “Lost,” then you might enjoy playing Konami’s “Lost in Blue” on the Nintendo DS.

The premise behind this role-playing game is you’re stranded on a mysterious deserted island. You must hunt, fish and light fires to stay alive. You soon meet another survivor, so the two of you must help each other with bare necessities as well as unravel the mystery of the island — and try to find a way off, of course.

Using the many interface capabilities of Nintendo DS, players will be able to perform tasks in unique ways.

For example, you must use the stylus pen to dig through sand to find edible clams. Then, when you collect sticks to make a fire, you must blow on the microphone to ignite the flame. When cooking in a pot, you must close the lid of the Nintendo DS to ensure the food is cooked properly; leave the lid closed too long and the food will burn, while opening it too quickly may result in an undercooked meal.

“Lost in Blue” is an innovative portable game with exciting new ways to interact with items.

‘Mario Kart DS’

Fans of Nintendo’s “Mario Kart” racing series, a franchise that has sold more than 11 million units over the past 13 years, now can take the arcade racing mayhem on the Internet to challenge friends in other cities or countries with “Mario Kart DS.”

That is, while you can play the game solo against computer-controlled opponents — such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Peach and other familiar Nintendo characters — up to eight friends can play against one another in the same room using a wireless local area network (even if only one of them has a “Mario Kart DS” game cartridge) or up to four friends can play around the world via the free Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

Gamers who own a high-speed modem but do not have a wireless router can purchase the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector (sold separately) to play over the Internet. This finger-size device plugs into the USB port of a Windows XP-based computer.

Outside the home, gamers can log on to play online at a Wayport-enabled McDonald’s restaurant.