Ever since the boys got involved in Bakugan toys, I have found them fascinating. Little balls that spring into mini-warriors when they land on a metal object. The concept is simply brilliant. Even my Mother-in-Law was impressed with them and couldn't resist playing with one that was sitting on the kitchen table. So as much as the boys were excited to get the Wii game Bakugan Brawlers by Activision, I too was rather curious to see how it played.

The game follows closely the battles that are played out on the Bakugan cartoon. Players place their battle cards on a play area (like an arena - there are several different themes available in the game) and then take turns rolling out their Bakugans onto the cards. With the Wii game, players roll them out using a throwing motion and then try to steer them by turning and twisting their Wii remote. Sounds easy but it was actually difficult at first to get the steering down. Once the Bakugan lands on a card, it springs into action.

When two player's Bakugans land on the same card, they are able to battle. Battling involves the "G-Power" which is basically the strength number each Bakugan. This number can be increased by using Ability cards and Gate cards. These cards are held by the player and can be used by selecting them for a particular Bakugan and a specific battle. Once any cards desired are played, the battle begins.

Battling involves one of three activities. There is a Shake battle where the battlers shake their Wii Remotes to accumulate ponits; there is a Timing battle where battlers must press the A and B buttons at appropriate times based on scrolling indicators (kind of like Guitar Hero, sideways); and there is a Shooting battle where battlers shoot at colored targets to gain points. Player with the most points at the end wins so obviously starting the battle with the most point (based on your G-Power and card use) helps, then adding points by performing well in the battle can seal the victory.

The game allows up to 4 players and a typical battle has all four involved. The game will put in computer players to fill in for any gaps to make 4 and there are 3 levels of play to setup the difficulty of your computer based opponents. My youngest quickly figured out that if he played as all 4 players (by selecting one remote, you take turns in battles and can basically play yourself easily) he could learn to play better and not be beaten by the computer opponents before he had a chance to learn how to play.

For each battle, Brawlers improve their rankings. Also, over time, certain Bakugans can evolve and grow, improving their G-Power. Brawlers can purchase new cards with the points you earn in battles. All these items keep players coming back for more and trying to expand their game.

As I said, Bakugan in general has always been a bit fascinating. Bakugan Brawlers for the Wii by Activision holds true to that interest. The game if fun, keeps player's interest and challenging. It is a game both kids and adults can play together, although keep our expectations in check, if you son starts practicing too much, you may not have a chance.