One thing I have enjoyed about the Wii is the simplicity.  Not too many buttons, not too may knobs, simple and easy.  Yes, I am the Atari 2600 generation.  My nephew has to explain what the A and B and C buttons do as opposed to X, Y and Z (not to mention the joysticks and non-lettered buttons in between).

With this love of simplicity I was very happy to find that Little League World Series Baseball 2008 by Activision was a game that one can pick up and play almost immediately.  Wii Sports Baseball is simple, but almost too simple.  Little League World Series takes it just a level or two up without taking to too far for us simplicity types.  In fact, the boys started playing right away and were able to compete head to head without any explanation.

For game play, Little League World Series takes advantage of the Wiimote as you would expect- you swing the controller as you would a bat to hit.  You make a throwing motion to pitch.  But it goes a step further.  To run faster, whether to a base or to a fly ball out in the field, you shake the remote.  The faster you shake, the faster you run (although it is still impossible to outrun an infield grounder to the short stop).  Pitches can vary from a fast ball to a change up, with arrow keys pressed before the pitch to control inside, outside, high and low.  Also, fielders can throw to any base by selecting first, second, third or home with the arrow buttons as well.  By default, the outfielder hits the cutoff man.

The game can be played against another player or against the computer.  You can play skills challenges for practice as well.  These include pitching target practice, batting and fielding. These can help you when you are staring out but are still fun once you get the hang of the game.

But the real key is to the World Series.  This is for single player mode and allows you to take a team (you get to chose between teams from around the world for head to head as well as World Series play) through the World Series.  Games are 6 innings by default (you can lengthen) and even go to extra innings.  After getting through the preliminary rounds (2 games) you then go through the brackets to the final game.  Winning the series unlocks other teams, other series and fills your clubhouse with trophies and awards.  Also included in the club house is the winning team picture- quite a nice litte touch.

Additional features include game stats and player bios.  The player bios are humorous- when a player approaches the plate, the announcer tells you a little about him and his stats show up which include facts like his/her favorite movie, food or other fun facts.  Players can improve skills throughout a game by making plays in the field or hitting in runs.  Pitchers can improve by striking out batters.  And then there is the Star Player.

Fairly true to life, each team has a Star Player.  This player has the best skills and can turn on his Star Power as his skills improve throughout the game.  As a batter, he can almost guarantee a home run.  As a pitcher, he can pitch a wicked fast ball.  You can also switch players around so that if you Star Player is in the field, you can move them to the Pitching position or, in the event they tire as the pitcher (they start sweating) you can switch them to the field.

Overall, the game play is a lot of fun and going through the World Series is quite a challenge.  For baseball enthusiast, the stats and player bios can be fun to follow.  Also, going through the game with players improving their skills is a nice touch.  Unfortunately the player skills improvements do not convey to the next game, otherwise you could really create a stacked team for the finals in the World Series.  But you are able to break records and earn new items in your club house, a nice little reward system for the kids.

If you enjoy Wii Sports baseball you will really love this game. If you enjoy a less complex game (Madden football is still a little to tough for me to get- I need to train more I guess) then you will enjoy this game.  If you are looking for an easy and fun way to introduce your kids to some of the ins and outs of baseball, this game can help provide some guidance there as well.  Little League World Series Baseball 2008 by Activision is one I would recommend to families with kids who are interested in sports, baseball specifically, and is fun for adults and kids alike.