Review: Diner Dash: Flo on the Go for Nintendo DS

John Wilkerson — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:16:46 -0500

If you're looking for a game that will keep you busy and test your time-management skills, Diner Dash: Flo on the Go is just the game for you.

In the sequel to Diner Dash, Flo is going on vacation but ends up having to work through it because she loses her luggage after being mobbed by the angry restaurant staff that has quit and stormed off the ship.

Game play is very simple. Players tap the screen to accomplish certain tasks like seating customers, taking orders and clearing tables. Some tasks can be linked to increase productivity. Before each level begins, players get to choose Flo's clothing. More clothes appear in her closet as the player progresses through each level adding a little variety to the game.

The object of the game is to seat, feed and keep happy as many customers as possible. The happier the customers when they leave, the larger the tip you receive and the more money you make. This is accomplished in 3 modes: Story Mode, Endless Shift and Multi-player. The game is played using the stylus and makes good use of both screens.

In Story Mode, you progress through levels that get more difficult with the addition of more customers, drinks spilling due to the movement of the ship and other distractions that may keep Flo from keeping her customers happy. At the end of each level, Flo gets some new clothes and sometimes there are upgrades available for the restaurant.

In Endless Shift mode play is the same as Story Mode but there are no levels. You have to reach a certain goal and once that goal is achieved you get to upgrade your restaurant. If you run out of stars, your shift is over.

In Multi-player mode you compete against another player. The other player must also have a copy of the game. There are three types of games to play. In Highest Score the player with the highest score wins. In First to Serve the player who server all of the customers first wins. In Survival the first player to lose three customers loses. Each Multi-player mode can be configured to include 10, 20 or 30 customers and the number of rounds to win: 1, 2 or 3.

Other features include:

5 new vacation-themed restaurants
9 customer types including Tourists and Lovebirds
All-new level challenges like turbulence, blackouts, and more
All-new Flo’s Closet™ to get her ready in the morning
Hundred of different outfit pairings
Over 25 new décor upgrades
New entertainers keep your guests patient and happy
Two modes of play: Story and Endless Shift
Familiar challenges and characters return with a twist
All-new music, art, and animation for a whole new Diner Dash® experience

Diner Dash: Flo on the Go is one of those games you can play right out of the box without having to consult the instruction manual. The game has a good tutorial and hints along the way help you through various levels. There is only one save slot for saving games so this can create some tension in a household where more than one child would like to play the game. I found the game to be entertaining though the first few levels were a bit repetitive. As more challenges were added the difficulty level was such that my waning interest soon returned and I was ready to continue establishing my floating-restaurant empire. Personally, I wasn't interested in changing Flo's clothes but I can see how this would interest girls.

Speaking of girls, here's what my 10-year old daughter thought of the game:

I think Diner Dash is a fun game because it is just my level and I like to serve people. Some times it's a bit tricky because the customers get angry but I eventually pass the level. It might be a little easier when I am older, but I still like it at this age. I can't wait to play it again.

All-in-all I'd say Diner Dash: Flo on the Go is a good buy and at $18.99 it's at a price point where if you have two children who would be interested in playing you wouldn't break the bank buying two copies. Zoo Games has done a great job porting the game to the DS from it's flash-based, PC roots.

Review: Thomas Wooden Railway Talking Railway Series Farewell at the Docks Set

John Wilkerson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:07:42 -0500

From Learning Curve comes a fun, interactive train set that is sure to keep your train-loving children busy for hours. Thomas Farewell at the Dock Set is for ages 3 and up, retails for $99.99 and can be purchased online or exclusively at Toys 'R' Us stores.

The Farewell at the Docks Set in the Talking Railway Series is based on the DVD Hero of the Rails and features Thomas, Spencer, Cranky and Sir Topham Hatt as they celebrate the return of Hiro, a recently restored Japanese engine, to his homeland.

As each train chugs past Cranky, Sir Topham Hatt calls out to them with a custom greeting via a recognition system in the bottom of each train. There are at least 5 custom greetings for each train which helps to keep children interested and experienced parents will appreciate an optional low volume setting not normally found in cheaper toys.

Younger children who are inexperienced with "Thomas" train sets will have a little difficulty assembling the train set but after a few times they should be able to correctly assemble the pieces without too much help from parents or older siblings. Of course, it's OK if they put it together any way they choose although there are only a few configurations that will make a complete loop with the track.

One thing I noticed was that the trains tend to derail after coming down the hill in this set. I think this is due to the fact that the curves are a little too tight and the hill may be too steep. The locomotives themselves don't derail but if they're attached to their cars then they derail without fail. When I asked my 5 year old to let a train go down the hill, he said, "It'll crash." Other than this slight negative, my children had only positive things to say about this set.

When I opened the box, 6 of my children immediately wanted to start playing with it. I had to enforce taking turns, and not one of them wanted to give up their turn. Even now when they see one child playing with it they want to immediately jump in and play too. All of them from ages 2 to 10 found something that kept their interest.

There isn't much here not to like. Except for the trains derailing everything else about this set exhibits the great quality and fun you'd expect from a Thomas the Tank Engine toy.

Review: Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 for Windows

John Wilkerson — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:19:08 -0400

Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 will have you glued to your computer for hours trying to hone your lexicon of vocabulary words (you might even reach for a dictionary every once in a while too).

In Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 you resume the role of Lex the Bookworm who must try to figure out why characters from fictional stories have started running rampant throughout reality. Along the way you are accompanied by some very colorful characters including Mother Goose, the Cheshire Cat and the rambunctious Monkey King who assist you in your battles against the characters from various story books.

There are three books in the story which contain 10 levels each. You fight your way through each level by spelling words using tiles. Each letter has a certain damage value, the more common letters doing less damage than letters like 'X' and 'Z'. The longer the word, the more damage you do. My son and I are trying to see who can get the longest, most powerful word. Additional modifications to your damage can be done by using bonus tiles which will cause your opponent to bleed or be poisoned for a number of turns. Additionally, you collect bonus items along the way which modify the damage cause by your words. Your companions also provide you with a number of benefits like extra healing potions or other power-ups.

Your opponents have a number of abilities that make it difficult for you to cause damage. They can modify the tiles so that they either do no damage or cause you damage if you use them. This makes it more important to have some of those bonus items and power-ups with you. Figuring out exactly which items to carry (you only get to carry two) and who will accompany you along your journey becomes an important part of you strategy.

Combat is turn-based which I think could be improved. The selecting of tiles and use of bonus items is fine but the fact that you could sit there doing nothing for several minutes without losing your turn makes the game a little easier than it could be. Lex does prod you if you don't do anything but there are no consequences for grabbing a dictionary and trying to figure out what you could spell with the letters offered. It's great for younger players but eliminates the urgency of the game for more experienced players.

My daughter who is 10 has a wonderful time playing the game. I'll let her chime in with some comments now.

I think bookworm adventure is a very fun game because it teases my brain. I have to work hard to figure out a lot of stuff. It's a little bit difficult for me to figure out what some of the words are but I eventually figure it out. One of the things I don't really like about it is that I get frustrated some times when I can't make a word. I also wish the enemies didn't have so many hearts!

This game has character. Opponents exchange barbs with Lex during combat and if you thoroughly defeat your opponent you'll see comments like "Whomped" or "Destroyed" as they go down. Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 will leave you wanting more. With replay and arena modes unlocked you will be able to go back over and over and satisfy your need to find the longest, most powerful word for a given opponent.

Review: Keyboard Town PALS for Mac & PC

John Wilkerson — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:33:13 -0400

Keyboard Town PALS is an interactive, educational tool for teaching children ages 7-12 how to type. Through the use of associative learning, drills and speed tests are eliminated and children can learn to type words and sentences in as little as one hour without the pressure to perform.

Though I was not able to demo the entire software package, what I did see really impressed me. I put it to the ultimate test, I started using it while my children were in the other room. Before I knew it, they were asking if they could use it too.

You'd think that puppets wouldn't interest children in the 21st century but there's something magical about good puppeteering that draws in children of all ages. In fact, the voice acting and puppeteering is exceptional in this software. The reason for this is because some of the people working on this project were part of the crew of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. The quality really shines through and really helps to make it engaging for children.

Through the associative learning system, children associate their "PALS" with keys on the keyboard. This helps them to memorize the locations of the keys much easier than rote repetition. My six year old son was more interested in the characters than typing but I could see that he was learning something despite his rapt attention on the puppets. Though his attention span is very short, I could see how 10-15 minutes a day with this tool could have him typing within a week or so.

Keyboard Town PALS comes in two flavors: an online version that can be used with any OS that has a broadband connection and a browser with the Adobe Flash player or a PC-only home version. I'd advise going with the web-based version because your children can start typing sooner. Keyboard Town PALS will have your children keyboarding their way to success.

Review: Bop-It by Hasbro

John Wilkerson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:48:41 -0400

The new Bop-It from Hasbro will have your family moving and grooving for hours. With new features to challenge even the most adept Bop-It players, this game has great replay value that's sure to be a hit with children of all ages.

We're big fans of the Bop-It in our family. So much so that we have three other models that get a lot of use and abuse. When I first received the current Bop-It I thought it wouldn't be much of a challenge for us, until I unlocked the Expert mode but I'm getting ahead of myself, let me cover the basics first.

Bop-It is recommended for children ages 8 and up but younger children will have fun playing this game too. One or more players can play the game and it requires 3 AA batteries (supplied) and retails for $19.99. The object of the game is to follow the commands given by Bop-It and score 100 points. Commands are given by voice, sound or color depending upon the level of the game (more on that later). There are 3 modes to the game: solo, pass it and party.

In the solo mode an individual tries to score as many points as possible by repeating the actions called out by the game: Bop It, Pull It, Twist It and Shout It. Each of these commands corresponds to a button or knob on the game. The "Shout It" feature can be turned on or off by sliding the microphone to the on or off position. This is great for adding an additional level of difficulty to the game or making it easier for younger players.
The Pass It mode can be played with 2 or more players. The game is started normally but at some point it will tell you to "Pass It". You then pass thegame to the next player. The player who fails to complete the commands is out and you continue until only one person is left -- the winner!

Party mode adds an extra element to the Pass It mode by including body parts that you must bop the game on. When a body part is called out the player must bop the game on their arm, leg, shoulder, hip, foot, belly or knee. Players should watch and make sure the other players are bopping the correct body parts.

There are three difficulty levels to the game: novice, expert and master. Each level is unlocked when a player in solo mode reaches 100 points in the previous level. So scoring 100 points in novice mode unlock the expert mode and scoring 100 points in expert mode unlocks the master mode. Once you've unlocked a level you can use a button to select which level you want to start on.

The novice level simply calls out the commands using a voice: Bop It, Pull It, Twist it and Shout it. Easy, right? It does speed up towards the end so your reaction time will need to improve if you want to keep up.

The expert level adds sound effects ans randomly calls out the voice command or the sound effect. Each action has a sound effect associated with it.

The master level adds another level of complexity by including colors with the voice and sound commands. Again, these are randomly mixed together and the pace of the game speeds up as well. If you score 100 point on this level you've beat the game.

I'm very please with this latest version of Bop-It. I found it challenging and fun for our entire family. My children ask me every day if they can play "the new Bop-It". Hasbro has released another great game that's fun for the whole family and won't be left on the shelf collecting dust.

Review: Astound Sound for MAC & PC

John Wilkerson — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:13:37 -0400

Astound Sound from GenAudio promises to improve your audio experience with music, movies and games and it delivers. Since using Astound Sound I've heard things in music and movies that I didn't hear before. It totally changes the way you hear audio on your computer. For this review I've used screen shot from the Mac

Let's get the technical details out of the way first:

* Expander 2.1 runs on Macintosh and Windows, and activates through any application that produces sound.
* Virtual audio device driver that captures all audio and processes it in real-time.
* User Interface control allows you to switch listening modes on demand. Meaning you can adjust from settings that are made for music, movies and games, each with its own slider.
* Keyboard short-cuts allow you to switch between listening modes and are customizable.
* Preamp increases or decreases input gain, reducing the possibility of distortion without losing any audio quality. So you can enjoy a rich, fuller sound experience, with every part of the sound remaining crisp and clear.

Have you ever watched a movie and wished you could hear a conversation in scene that sounded muffled. Maybe you were listening to a favorite song and thought you heard a violin in there somewhere but you just weren't sure. Astound Sound takes those nuances in the audio of a game, music or movie and improves it so that your a richer experience.

Astound Sound installs easily on both Mac and PC and requires a reboot on booth platforms. Anything that produces sound on your computer passes through Astound Sound and is enhanced on the fly. Once installed all you have to do is choose a preset you prefer and listen. Astound Sound does the rest.

You'll find yourself wanting to change the setting every once in a while because not all audio is equal. That is easily done using hot-keys or a menu bar icon on the Mac or a system tray icon on the PC. I found myself playing around with it just to see how differently things would sound. Songs and movies that have had their audio tracks enhanced and layered will really pop with Astound Sound. you'll here conversations that took place in the background and in action flicks it feel like you're in the middle of the scene. While watching Back to the Future when Marty McFly went back in time it was like I was sitting in the DeLorean with him.

Astound Sound will not, however, help you if you have bad or cheap speakers. It will make things sound better but it's not a replacement for those speakers you got free with a rebate at Staples. I recommend using over-the-ear headphones as this really helps to immerse you in the audio. Also, very simple audio doesn't get enhanced much. For example, if you're listening to a podcast recorded in mono at 64kbps, you won't get that much out of the software. To truly get a full experience you need audio that has been enhanced and has enough depth for Astound Sound to pull it out.

$39.95 seems steep for software the just enhances audio so if you're not an audiophile this may not interest you. You can download the software for a 30-day trial if you need convincing and I would highly recommend doing that before you decide to purchase the software to see if it's right for you.

Overall, I found Astound Sound to be a great utility to enhance your listening experience though I think the price is a little steep.

Review: Lux-Pain for Nintendo DS

John Wilkerson — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:09:30 -0400

Imagine you live in a world where a virus could cause people to commit random acts of violence or organize group suicides. Now imagine you have telepathic abilities and you could detect this virus in people and remove it. Sounds pretty cool, huh? Well, Ignition Entertainment managed to take a great idea and bore you to death with it.

In Lux-Pain you take on the role of Atsuki Saijo a member of FORT whose goal is to eliminate the virus known as "Silent". You're tasked with going undercover at a local high school to find "patient zero", the first person infected with "Silent". Along the way you under the mysterious origin of the virus.

Again, sounds cool. Unfortunately, the game is completely linear. You follow the story along from point to point gathering information with the game holding your hand the entire way. The translation is horrible and there are time when it's even comical. It's unfortunate that such an artistically pleasing and well-acted game could suffer so much from lack of game play and poor translation.

When you actually encounter someone infected with "Silent" the game play is as exciting as rubbing a scratch and sniff sticker, without the nice scent of blueberries or chocolate. You literally scratch away reality with the pen on the DS to find the virus, remove it and then implant it to gather more information from the infected individual. This is tedious at times because if you rub too much searching for the virus you could wipe the person's psyche from their mind. Once you gather information from the person it's placed into a log for you to reference.

There are some added features like a bulletin board, email and cellphone but they add little to the game and can even be distracting. Even worse are the lengthy chats you have to endure just to find out that someone went home for the day.

The game has multiple endings based upon which "Silent" viruses you've removed. You might be able to see one or two of them if you can manage to stay awake. I found the free art book that came with the game more interesting than the game itself.

Review: Dora's Fix-It Adventure for V.Smile Motion

John Wilkerson — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:35:38 -0400

When Tico the Squirrel's Air-Car-Boat Machine falls to pieces, it's up to Dora and Boots to find the missing parts. This sends them on a learning adventure similar to what's seen in the TV show.

Dora's Fix-It Adventure is for children ages 4-6 but I'd recommend this for ages 3-5. It's easy, really easy. None of my children had any trouble playing the game, in fact, they got bored quickly.

In each of the levels in the Learning Adventure mode, children have to solve puzzles that test their knowledge of colors, shapes, pattern recognition, numbers and language skills (including Spanish). However, it take almost an hour to complete and it's very repetative. Did I say it was repetative? My children didn't finish very many levels because they just got bored and wanted to play something else, like Kung-Fu Panda.

The Learning Zone has three games that test counting, Spanish and letter recognition. Again, a lot of repetition so be prepared to have your children tell you they're bored with these one too.

VTech really dropped the ball on this one. If your goal is to have your children learn a few Spanish words this is the game for you. If you want them to learn and be entertained you may want to look elsewhere.

Review: Kung Fu Panda: Path of the Panda for V-Motion

John Wilkerson — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:53:33 -0400

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).

Review: WALL-E for V-Motion

John Wilkerson — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:48:46 -0400

Admit it, being a robot that drives around picking up trash can be pretty monotonous. VTech manages to take out some of the monotony in WALL-E for the V-Motion Learning System. Recommended for ages 3-5, 1-2 players help WALL-E and EVE on their adventure just like in the movie. WALL-E covers a variety of educational topics, uses either the joystick or motion controller and supports the V.Link Connection.

WALL-E has both Learning Adventure and Learning Zone Modes. In Learning Adventure there is a choice of Adventure or Quick Play and in the Learning Zone kids can choose specific skills to practice. Each game has two levels of difficulty and although the game support two players, they do not play simultaneously.

Learning Adventure

In the Learning Adventure kids help EVE and WALL-E complete tasks just like in the movie. If the quick play is selected, they can jump from one adventure to another rather than completing them in order. If adventure play is selected there is an option to start a new game or continue a previous one.

A Day at Work has kids helping WALL-E clean up the abandoned earth. Learning colors is the objective and this is accomplished by collecting and cubing trash while avoid obstacles and then placing it in the correct colored trash tower. On the easy level primary colors have to be matched and on the difficult level kids must combine colors to create secondary colors.

Searching for EVE takes place aboard Axiom and WALL-E must find EVE while avoiding the Stewards and security cameras before time runs out. When WALL-E arrives at a door the correct shape must be chosen to keep him moving forward. At the more difficult level more complex shapes are presented in order to continue.

In Space Dash EVE must find WALL-E among the asteroids. EVE is guided through space while avoiding rocks. Kids are presented with letters along the way, on the more difficult letter upper- and lowercase letters must be matched by blasting the correct rock.

Finally, in Race to the Holo-Detector kids guide EVE through various levels of Axiom to find the holo-detector. Along the way they must avoid the Stewards by blasting them and select the correct elevator with the next number in a sequence. The easy level has numbers in ascending order that are 12 or less and the difficult level has numbers in ascending or descending order that are 16 or less.

These adventures lose their appeal quickly if played in adventure mode. I found that my kids preferred to skip around in quick play mode. Their favorite was Race to the Holo-Detector and I can see why, it's the most arcade-like being a side- and vertical-scroller.

Learning Zone

In the Learning Zone there are four more games to hone kid's skills. My kids hardly played these and when they did they lost interest quickly.

M-O Cleans Up teaches kids to follow directions by helping M-O clean up dirt on the floor. Kids must follow the colored arrows to get to the dirt. The difficult level adds a time limit to the task.

In WALL-E's Collection kids help WALL-E find object that are different from others. The easy level has them selecting one item from a row that doesn't belong within the time limit and the difficult level has them selecting the row that is different from the others in the allotted time.

In Puzzle ShapesTrash Chute Sorting has WALL-E catching falling objects and placing them in the correct recycling bin. Each difficulty level has a time limit, on easy they must catch two objects and on difficult they must catch 3 objects. Of the four games in the Learning Zone, this one appealed to my kids the most.

Final Thoughts

Overall, WALL-E can be a bit repetitive. Older kids will quickly get bored but younger kids will stay amused enough to keep playing for 10-15 minutes. The recommended ages for this game are just right as long as they haven't been playing any other educational games that will give them a head start on the skills covered in this one.

Review: Vtech V-Motion Active Learning System

John Wilkerson — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:29:38 -0400

The V-Motion Active Learning System from Vtech is a fun and exciting way to expose your young children to math, spelling, reading and other educational concepts while they play games. It's the perfect combination of console gaming and learning tools that your children will really enjoy. VTech has come up with an innovative method of gameplay that is sure to please your young children. Recommended for ages 3-7, the V-Motion combines console play with online play in a unique combination that will keep your child engaged and interested for a long time.

The V-Motion ships with one adjustable, wireless motion controller, a wrist strap for the controller, an Action Mania "Smartridge", a V-Link USB key, necessary manuals and batteries for the console and controller; it retails for $59.99. The V-Motion console does not ship with an AC adapter. It is available as an option for MSRP $9.99. Additional V-Link USB keys are available for MSRP $12.99 and Smartridges cost $24.99 MSRP. The V-Motion console is compatible with all V-Smile Smartridges and wired controllers as well. An additional wireless motion controller will set you back $19.99 MSRP. The console and controller are available in two basic colors: blue and pink.

The console requires 4 AA batteries and the controller requires 3 AAA batteries, so I would highly recommend that you make an investment in rechargeable batteries for both the console and controller. You may also want to pick up the optional VTech AC adapter or a universal 9V, 300mA AC adapter as well. Although the need for batteries is a negative it can also be viewed in a positive light. If you have a vehicle with a portable television or DVD player that also has AV inputs, the V-Motion can be used on long trips to entertain your children.

The Console

The front of the console features a slot for the Smartridges in the center, two power buttons and a V.Link slot on the right and a V.Smile controller port and a wireless controller indicator light on the left. I found the two power buttons a bit odd. One big, green button turns the unit on and restarts the game and a smaller, red button turns it off. I would think a single power button would be easier to use because a power cycle effectively restarts a game. The Smartridges do not slide easily into the the slot. My 3-year old cannot put one in and my 6-year old has some difficulty with it as well. For a console designed for young children I found this frustrating. Sometimes one of my children would think they had correctly placed a Smartridge in the slot but it had not completely "clicked in". The top of the console has a storage compartment to place your games in. This is very useful because it keeps all the games with the console and allows you to store and transport everything with ease. The AV cable for connecting the console to a TV is hard-wired to the unit. Since this is a console for young children, I would have liked to see a removable one. If the cable gets damaged in any way you'll need to have the unit repaired or replace it entirely.

The Controller

The wireless motion controller is unique and innovative. It uses infrared technology and works from up to 30 feet away. The controller combines a joystick and motion control system that gives your child some variety in their gameplay. The one feature that sets apart this controller from any other I've seen is its ability to switch from right-hand to left-hand use. By turning a switch on the bottom of the controller, it flips from righty to lefty in seconds. The controller features a number of useful buttons as well. There are 4 colored buttons that are used during gameplay, a help button, an exit button and a button to enter the "Learning Zone" play mode. The controller also has direction lights that illuminate when the controller is moved. When the motion controller is turned on a light on the front of the console comes on to indicate a good connection. There is also a light on the controller that flashes when it loses a connection with the controller and stays solid when connected. When we first received our V-Motion we had trouble getting the console to recognize the controller. After removing and reseating the batteries a few times we haven't come across this problem again. On the bottom of the controller is a combination on/off and multi-player switch. The switch slides in one direction for one player and another for two player.

V.Link

Another thing that sets apart the V-Motion from other children's consoles is the V.Link system. V.Link allows parents to track their child's progress online. Children earn points in V.Link enabled games that are converted to gold coins online which can be used to unlock bonus games. Each V.Link only works for one child so if you want to track more than one child's progress you'll need to purchase additional units. Also, the V.Link software only works with the Windows operating system so OS X users are out of luck. The software includes a custom, secure browser that connects to the V.Link website once it's plugged into a USB port on your computer. The downside of this software is that I've found no way to disable it when it's not in use. An icon runs in the system tray from startup and there are no options to hide it or exit the application. V.Link is a great tool for encouraging children to do well in their games because they're rewarded with bonus games for their efforts.

The Games

The V-Motion ships with Action Mania, a VTech original title that utilizes the motion controller or joystick for game play. It utilizes the V.Link connection but does not support the "Learning Zone" feature and is recommended for ages 3-5. The Smartridge has three activities that contain two games each: Rapid Race, Backyard Party and Raise a Racket. Each activity can be played with either one or two players and has two levels of difficulty. Two-player mode has each player on the screen simultaneously and wither cooperating with or competing against each other. In Rapid Race children race against the clock (or each other) in either a car or bobsled while learning about letters, spelling, number order and comparison. Backyard Party has your child balancing on a ball to learn about healthy food or bouncing a ball to learn about classification and colors. Raise a Racket is a tennis game that teaches hand-eye coordination, colors, classification and counting.

My 3-year old had difficulty controlling the game in both the motion and joystick modes. She just turned three so this may be a little too difficult for her. She was not able to follow the in-game directions and had to be helped with many of the learning tasks. My 4-year old had a little trouble controlling the game and understanding the directions, mostly because he didn't listen to the directions. Easy mode was just the right level of difficulty for him. My 6-year old (he was 5 a few weeks ago when we tested this) breezed through this game without much difficulty at all. He did have a little trouble with the balancing task but still managed to complete all the other games easily. Of course, my older children felt the need to play the games and had fun too. Even I enjoyed playing some of the games with my children.

There are a number of titles available ranging from Scooby-Doo to NASCAR. There are currently 14 titles available for the V-Motion. Each title is generally for ages 3-7. Additionally, the V-Motion is compatible with all V.Smile Smartridges so if you already own a V.Smile of if your child's friend has one they can share games. Currently there are 24 V.Smile titles available. The V.Smile titles do not support motion control so you're limited to using the joystick. Games fall into one of three categories: Early Learners (3-5), Junior Thinkers (4-6) and Masterminds (6-8). Games cover a multitude of educational topics including spelling, math, science, logic and more.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a gaming system that's fun for your children to use and disguises learning then the VTech V-Motion Learning system is just the thing for them. When it comes to using the controller, the learning curve will be much shorter for children who are used to playing consoles than those who haven't yet been exposed to gaming but once your child has mastered the use of the controller he'll be happily on the way to learning while playing some fun and engaging games.

Review: Retro Game Challenge for DS

John Wilkerson — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:08:33 -0400

Retro Game Challenge from XSEED Games tries to capture the nostalgia of gaming in the '80s and comes up a little short. The game does capture some of the aspects of gaming in the '80s (Remember all of the cheap knock-offs of the most popular games?) but the story line leaves you with bad memories of big hair and too much fluorescent clothing.

The game starts out with an awfully long cut scene with a Max Headroom-like avatar of Arino the evil Game Master sending you back in time to play games with himself in the '80s. From there you interact with '80s Arino and his avatar and take on challenges in order to return to the future. Complete a challenge. Cut scene. Another challenge. Rinse. Repeat. It's painfully repetitive and the cut scenes really get in the way of the gaming experience. I think the game would have been better served with just offering up a challenge for each stage without the disembodied head of Arino floating in your face.

Completing a challenge unlocks a game in free play mode where you can play each game to your heart's content. Most of them are worth playing; Cosmic Gate, a Galaga knock-off, is quite addictive. Rally King brought back memories of playing racing games for hours on end. Even the poor English translations from the games are re-created. After finishing a stage in Cosmic Gate I was told that I had “shooted 26 asteroids”.

While working your way through the challenges, Arino's gaming magazines are at your disposal in which you can find cheats and tricks to help you along the way. Not all of the cheats are available in free play mode, however. Another tool at your disposal is a notepad that you can scribble notes in using the touch screen.

Speaking of the touch screen, it's hardly utilized. I would have liked to see it used for more that just a notepad. Most of the action happens on the top screen of the DS while '80s Arino cheers you on and occasionally talks a little trash on the bottom. I found this little addition quite charming. Hearing someone make comments while you play makes it feel as if someone is sharing the experience with you. Once when a cartridge fails to load Arino advises you to blow on it. There are a lot of nice little touches like this.

The graphics are reminiscent of 8-bit console games. Not much to see here. Even the cut scenes are rendered like old '80s games.

My oldest son played through most of the game and had this to say:

I like the arcade games chosen for the game, and I enjoyed them quite a bit. The challenges move along quite nicely, getting progressively harder as you get used to the particular game you're playing. They're also the perfect difficulty for each one. I initially started the game thinking that I wouldn't get very into it, and that it would only be a shallow series of “minigames,” but I'm forced to admit that each game is a whole adventure in it's own right. I almost wanted to keep playing the first games instead of moving on as the game progressed.

Some games are harder than others, notably Haggle Man 2 and Guadia Quest, but overall the difficulty level was rather low. Not low enough to be boring, exactly, but getting there. I'll admit that there were a few spots that had me beat for a half-hour or so, but overall I had little trouble moving from challenge to challenge.

I don't remember having any trouble figuring things out, since, as I've already mentioned, the games are fairly straightforward. It was actually a nice change from my normal games, which are oftentimes complicated. It's almost too simple, especially with the game magazines where you can find cheats which minimize the skill involved, but because of the variety and number of games, I didn't lose interest.

One thing I couldn't stand about the game is that it does an absolutely terrible job of utilizing the touch screen, and in fact there's little use for the lower screen at all. I also didn't enjoy having to start over in some of the games when I tried to play them in freeplay mode, since some of the challenges in story mode really advance you far into the game. For gamers with multi-player play in mind, forget it. There's nothing there. Not even a wireless option, and forget about wi-fi. I find myself wondering why this game wasn't released on an earlier console.

Each game provides a unique challenge, and I'm sure that even the pickiest of game players could find something to their liking. I enjoyed reading the game magazines and scouring them for cheats. I didn't really need to use them, but it is enjoyable to find them. Plus, the magazines are just plain cool.

There's really very little story line, which I think is actually good in this situation because any attempt at a story line would probably flop. All in all, I did really enjoy this game and I would recommend it to my friends with money burning a hole in their pockets, but I don't think it tops my list.

Overall, I'd say the game is fun but not addictive. There's certainly a lot of additional game play left in the game after completing the challenges due to the free-play mode but most of the interest has already worn off once you've completed the challenges. If you can put up with the cheesy cut scenes there's a lot of fun to be had here.

Review: iHarmonix Platinum i-Series Headphones

John Wilkerson — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:30:14 -0500

Two words describe my experience with the iharmonix Platinum i-Series headphones: uncomfortable & noisy.

While I found the sound-quality of the headphones to be quite good, I could not stand to use them for more than 10 minutes. I tried using all three sets of ear gels and couldn't get any of them to fit correctly, so my ears started to ache after about 8-10 minutes of use. The gels for the headphones fell out of my ears constantly and were uncomfortable to the point that I had to switch to my own ($14) pair. Perhaps I have weird ears, but not being able to get any of the gels to fit properly really steamed me. For an MSRP of $59.95 you'd think iharmonix could provide a product that fits a little more comfortably. In addition, I found that whenever the wires moved it created a distinct thumping sound in my ears. This is especially annoying if you’re walking, jogging, working or just moving in general.

Although I was dismayed at the fit of the headphones and the noise I heard whenever the wires moved, there are some good qualities to these headphones. I found the sound quality to be quite good. The bass wasn't too low and didn't overpower the high- and mid-range sounds. The in-line microphone's sound quality was better than the Bluetooth headset I use with my Blackberry. The multi-function button performed well when placing and receiving calls with voice-activated dialing, or pausing and resuming music.

These headphones feature:

In-line microphone for hands-free calling
Multi function button for send/end and pause music
Gold plated 3.5mm audio / voice DC jack
Advanced sonic accuracy
11mm driver unit
Super bass
Brushed stainless steel casing
Polished gun metal alloy finish
Ear gels in 3 sizes

In addition to all of this, you get a little cloth bag to carry your headphones around in when you're not using them.

These headphones are targeted at iPhone and Blackberry owners, but in my opinion, I think your $60 could be better spent on a Bluetooth headset with stereo support .

Review: National Geographic Panda for DS

John Wilkerson — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:01:12 -0500

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