Eye of Judgment

$70, PlayStation 3 (requires PlayStation Eye Camera)

Teaches: logic, strategy

CTR Rating: 80%

CTR Review

This is a fun virtual reality card game that merges real cards with on screen graphics. But the game itself is limited, and does not have broad appeal. After you plug the PlayStation Eye camera into your PS3 and adjust the viewing stand (included), you lay out the real cards on a special game board, which is actually a fabric square. Lining things up can be tricky at first -- sometimes the cards are reversed on the screen. Next, you can put your hand over a card, to see it come alive on the screen. It's as if ghost monsters live inside the cards. The game itself combines strategy elements of chess and Pok�mon, with a lot of details that some will find intimidating. The game is sold alone for $40, but it requires the PlayStation Eye Camera (also $40). According to Ross, age 11, "It is fun to watch the little figures beat the crap out of each other when you are playing, but it is constantly requesting you to put a card a different way and when you do it tells you to do it again. It's also a hassle to have to buy tons of cards separately. It is a gr8 game to play with friends locally, but lacks a campaign mode and there are no online features. This is a good game to borrow." See also Avatar iTag Augmented Reality game from Mattel (www.t-immersion.com).