An easy game to beat, but worth the experience.
As a lawyer in the near future, it's your duty not only to defend your client in court, but to investigate the case and build up a defense using evidence you collect on entirely illegal searches. Search warrants? Pshh. Full disclosure? Nah, too much trouble. By taking a few creative liberties, Capcom was able to make a very exciting and dramatic story. Some of these cases rival professionally made TV shows like CSI and Law and Order, despite the game's simplistic evidence and lack of expert material.
In my opinion, Phoenix Wright is a winner because it takes advantage of all of our natural desire to beat other people in arguments. To maximize this effect, the characters (who all have wonderful personality) display greatly exaggerated emotions, giving us all a guilty sort of vindication every time you catch someone in a lie. It's the kind of thing most games don't let you in on... the feeling that you truly outsmarted a worthy opponent.
The game isn't perfect, of course. Occasionally, the evidence you're meant to present is anything but clear, and other times it's painfully obvious. But while your assistant Maya (or later, Ema) is occasionally annoying with her stating of the obvious, Phoenix always reacts to it in a fitting way that sets your mind at ease.
The final word? This game brings satisfaction like no other, but very few people will get any replay out of it at all. Borrow it if you can, but buy if you must, because you'll be glad you had this experience.