IT'S PANDA-MONIUM!

"Learn about real-life Pandas as you feed, nurture and play with your very own Panda! Choose from cute and cuddly Baby Pandas or giant Great Pandas and play with them as they learn new skills. Discover fun panda facts from real National Geographic stories that appear as you progress through the game!"

National Geographic Panda is a pet simulation game from Bandai Namco Games for Nintendo DS. It is a fun, cute game from the start but lacks the depth to keep the interest of anyone older than 9 years old. The objective is to feed the panda, play with the panda, wash the panda, dress the panda, teach the panda tricks and watch the panda act cute.

All my children who played it found the game to be fun at first but there were some levels of frustration I could detect. My oldest had this to say:

National Geographic Panda is a cute and amusing game. I liked how the game utilizes the stylus and the touch screen, but there is a lot to explore and no real objective. I sometimes wonder if the panda is enjoying itself or if there is something I could do for it. Like I said, I like the idea of free reign, but there is just too much to do without any suggestions or objectives. The real-time clock makes me wonder if the panda is going to need food and water every day. If it does, this game could get inconvenient. Also, the panda seemed to be sleepy the first time I played it, which was at night. I often only get time for games in the evening, and if I could get more out of it earlier in the day, I would be more interested in it.

One thing I could see that frustrated them the most was that no more than one player could play the game at a time. If someone else wanted to play the game from the start, it had to be reset, thus eliminating one child's progress.

Children who are not comfortable reading a lot or who do not have the patience to read the on-screen instructions would not find this game enjoyable. There are certainly aspects of the game that they'll enjoy (washing the panda was a favorite) but overall, they will become frustrated because they can't follow the instructions given to them.

The cuteness factor has a lot going for it. That alone will draw in a child and keep them interested for a time, but given the amount of time it takes to progress in the game the novelty quickly wears off.

My five oldest played the game whose ages range from 14 to 4. All of them liked it at first and were excited to have a new game to play, but their enjoyment is limited to the extent that they can 1.) keep a saved game and 2.) follow the directions.

If you have a child who is interested in games where you gain achievements this would be a good game for him. If, however, you have more than one child in the house who would like such a game you will either need to buy multiple copies of the game or deal with the frustration of one child erasing another's progress.

All in all, I would say the game is fun and entertaining but loses it's playability over time.

http://www.ngpanda.com