Hamsterz Life
© 2006 Ubisoft, Inc.
Finally... there exists in this word an authentic hamster simulator and better yet, one that can fit in your pocket, while running on a Nintendo DS. Before you rush out and buy this title, however, know that the design feels rigid compared with past PC-based Petz titles, with a different format. The game starts with asking you to select one of five hamster breeds. Once you see the one you want, you type a name and are given a birth certificate (reading the instructions and dialog boxes is required). As your hamster grows stronger, he or she can build his own Ham-country with its own bakery, school and bookstore, and share invite other hamster items from friends' DS's using the wireless play features. At any time, you can take out your hamster, teach it tricks using the DS voice commands, clean the cage, and pet him or her by rubbing the screen. The more tricks you learn, the more money you earn, which can be used to purchase more cage parts, food and so on. The better you raise your hamster, the bigger he becomes, and the more energy he has to build a big, realistic "Ham-Country" with things such as a bakery, school, playground and bookstore. As a pure life simulator; however, it isn't nearly as engaging as Nintendogs or the the older Petz simulations (Catz 4 and Dogz 4) and there are some clunky design issues. For example, the music can get repetitive. All in all, this is a solid, generally fun animal simulator that could be a lot smarter, but still works.
$30, Nintendo DS
Teaches: caring for living things, math, economics
CTR Rating: 84%