Here's a homebrew game that's definitely a cut above the rest: homebrew developer DesertDog's Game Melody Oratorio for the Nintendo DS, a game that teaches you how to play game melodies via a virtual piano.

Yes, that means it's just not a rhythm game. Game Melody Oratorio actually teaches you how to play, which is all kinds of awesome. This is then compounded by the fact that the tunes themselves are filled with some of the more memorable ones from the past generations.

So, what's new with Game Melody Oratorio? Here's the changelog:

• Ten new melodies: Outrun (Sega), Duck Tales (Capcom), Dr. Mario (Nintendo), Super Castlevania VI (Konami), Streets of Rage 2 (Sega), Double Dragon (Technos), Metal Gear Solid (Konami), Final Fantasy VII (Square), Leisure Suit Larry (Sierra On-Line) and Halo (Microsoft).
• A extra key on the piano (C3)
• New Practice stage (Stage 4 - hidden notes)
• New game mode (Recital Challenge)
• Preview the melody on the Melody Select screen
• Improved flash cart support

Educational entertainment at its most awesome - we're certainly not surprised that this particular homebrew game won in the Nintendo DS Homebrew Games category in the NeoFlash Spring Coding Competition. Updates as we get them, and kudos to DesertDog for this very excellent homebrew.

Download: Game Melody Oratorio Volume Two