Kung Fu Panda: Path of the Panda for VTech V-Motion will have your kids smiling and coming back for more. Designed for kids ages 4-6, this game hits the sweet spot for educational games.

Kung Fu Panda can be played using the joystick or motion controller with one or two players (only one player can play in mission mode). It features several forms of play: mission mode, training mode and competition mode. Additional options include 2 levels of difficulty and support for the V.Link connection so kids can earn gold coins for games on the V.Smile website. Each activity offers a specific curriculum which addresses certain skills.

Mission Mode

Ancient Mission 1 - Bamboo Forest Rescue addresses logic skills. In this mission kids help Po find 3 lost villagers. They must push rocks around in a maze to get to the lost villager.

Ancient Mission 2 - Unblock the Rivers also addresses logic skills. Kids must help Po create 3 waters supplies for the Valley of Peace. Here they must push rocks to redirect the flow of water to a waterwheel.

Ancient Mission 3 - Chinese Take-Out builds object identification and spelling skills. Kids must help Po deliver noodles to three stores in the Valley of Peace. They must deliver the noodles to a store based on either a picture that is shown or the first letter of a word depending on the difficulty level.

In Ancient Mission 4 - Master Architect kids learn geometry skills while helping Po find 3 missing building accessories: a window, fence and arch. Depending upon the difficulty level they choose either a matching or symmetrical piece.

Ancient Mission 5 - Bridge Builder also addresses geometry skills but this time kids help Po build a new bridge by finding five logs on the mountain. Kids have to find either simple or complex shapes to build the bridge.

In Ancient Mission 6 - Mountain Hero kids help Po find 3 villagers and rescue them from a cliff. Once they find a villager they must use mathematics to decide how long the rope must be to rescue each villager.

Ancient Mission 7 - Food Fight test kid's hand/eye coordination. Po must find a dumpling bowl in the dojo and avoid rolling logs and fruit fired from cannons.

Ancient Mission 8 - Punching Bag Challenge again has children testing their mathematics skills by searching through the dojo to find a vase. On the way, children must avoid rolling logs and punch punching bags a certain number of times.

In the final mission, Legendary Mission, Po must defeat Tai Lung by gathering objects from wooden boxes to increase his action points. Once they get enough action points they can perform a special kung fu move to deplete Tai Lung's energy level.

Some of the missions can be quite repetitive, especially the two in the dojo. However, kids will have fun while completing each mission. The final mission will probably have kids stumped for a while since it incorporates many concepts: collecting items, pressing a series of buttons and shaking the joystick. With just the mission modes, there is enough to keep kids busy for hours.

Training and Competition Mode

There are two training levels: You May Eat and Dojo Star Throw. You May Eat tests kid's knowledge of foods by having them help Po grab a correct number of objects before time runs out. If they're too slow, Master Shifu will grab the food before them. In Dojo Star Throw spacial skills are tested as kids must throw stars at shapes to complete a puzzle or destroy punching bags in an allotted time. There isn't too much here to keep kids busy. It can be somewhat repetitive so kids will easily get bored.

Competition mode repeats the skills and challenges of the Legendary Mission except that kids can choose a characters and locations for a kung fu competition. Kids can play head-to-head against each other or the computer. There is also a tournament mode where kids play several rounds against the computer or another player. Competition mode will keep most kids interested but I think that some will not find this somewhat repetitive.

Overall, Kung Fu Panda: Path of the Panda is by far the most immersive and complex game for the V-Motion. It mixes a combination of different arcade games like side- and vertical-scrollers as well as more adventure-like games. Kids older than the recommended age will also enjoy playing this game, if they can get it away from their younger siblings (or parents).