HERE we take a look at three new Nintendo DS games suitable for keeping the kids entertained during the summer holidays – Sonny With A Chance, Club Penguin: Herbert’s Revenge and Playmobil Knights.
Sonny With A Chance is based on the Disney kids’ TV show So Random.
It takes the form of a board game played between four cast members from the show competing to get the most fan mail. Players choose from Sonny, Tawni, Nico, Grady or Zora, and the computer takes on the other roles.
In each turn players move around the board picking up fan mail, collecting power-ups and playing 40-plus mini games such as throwing pies, solving puzzles and competing in races.
There are unlockable items which allow players to customise characters’ costumes in the game.
If they prefer, players can go straight into mini games without playing the board game.
Sonny With A Chance is basic enough for kids to play but has enough depth to keep their attention.
Fans of the TV show it’s based on will love seeing the characters in this form, and the graphics are pretty nice for this type of game.
Overall, it’s a fun, light-hearted and humorous game which has proved a hit with my seven-year-old daughter.
Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge, to give the second new release its full title, is a cute little action adventure game for kids.
The Club Penguin resort is an online virtual world of games, activities and social networking for kids.
This is the second DS game it’s spawned.
In this latest title from Disney Interactive, Elite Penguin Force Agents are called into action to thwart Herbert the polar bear’s evil plot to destroy the Penguin Secret Agency.
The main part of the game is story mode which features a series of missions which challenge players in mini games and puzzle solving.
There are cool spy gadgets and vehicles to help players complete objectives, and there is also the assistance of Puffles creatures which have special skills
Various other characters, some new and some familiar to Club Penguin fans, pop up during the game and help stop Herbert’s plan.
Coins earned during the course of the game can be transferred to unlock locations at clubpenguin.com
Simple but enjoyable for youngsters, Club Penguin: Herbert’s Revenge is a nicely put together package which should keep budding secret agents occupied for a considerable time.
Following the success Lego has had in the video games world, Playmobil toys have been brought to life in a medieval-themed adventure for young heroes.
In Playmobil: Knights the player takes on the role of a radish farmer who is called upon to retrieve the magical sword of legends and defeat the evil magician Flimflam who has captured all of the king’s knights and is wreaking havoc in the once peaceful lands.
With simple controls and nice visuals, the side-scrolling adventure takes place through 16 villages and markets featuring more than 90 quests and missions to complete.
There are also five mini games which provide fame and money.
Players jump and battle their way through the game world, as well as fly on dragons. Weapons, equipment and magic items can be collected to defeat the dastardly Flimflam.
Playmobil: Knights from JoWood doesn’t exactly set the gaming world alight but it’s decent enough as a simple but entertaining romp for young kids.
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