Illusia Isle can be a dangerous place, but thankfully Children of Mana for Nintendo DS lets you bring your friends on board to thwart its evils. No matter how much support your comrades can give you though, there are certain secrets you might like to discover on your own.





Or, with a little help from Club Nintendo perhaps. Read on for some helpful tips that might turn you into a team leader, and watch your friends' jaws drop in awe.



The Haunted House of Mana Village

Rumours about the Haunted House in the North East of Mana Village abound But why trust rumours when you can find out for yourself? After you've been to Star Lake, enter Moti's house and pick up the Rusted Key next to the fireplace. Be sure to show it to Moti before you leave.

Once you enter the mysterious house you will find a lot of books, including the Adventurer's Log I. It contains a story about a dragon, and it allows you to embark on a special subquest



Children of Money

If you're stuck for cash there's a small subquest you might want to follow through after you finish Chapter 3. Millionaire knows about an extremely rare plant growing in the fiery Sands of Jadd. But beware, for brilliant ideas don't come cheap



Expand your Gem Frame

As an inexperienced adventurer you are stuck with a 2x2 Gem Frame, which should serve you well for a while but you're going to need to expand that grid to become truly powerful.

You will get three opportunities to upgrade your Gem Frame:

-         Once you complete Star Lake in Topple, head over to the Bomb Brothers Store and have a chat with Balbo

-         Talk to Balbo again after completing Brightwood in Wendal

-         After Chapter 7, go to the Dudbear at Dud Services and complete the subquest that has you looking for the Dudbear that went missing in the Ice Citadel. This quest will get you the Shiny Rock, which you should take to the Bomb Brothers for the third and final upgrade of your Gem Frame.



The Eighth Element

When you talk to the Spirits in the Mana Village they will ask you to seek out certain Benevodons for answers (provided you defeated enough bosses already, and have the Spirit in question equipped). If you complete the missions of every Spirit, you will be granted access to a final mission once you beat the game.

When you return to Mana Village, you'll notice the mural of the Mana Tree is glowing. You'll be transported to a place you've been before, where a bigger challenge awaits Are you up for it?