Littlest Pet Shop Jungle
© 2008 Electronic Arts Casual Entertainment
If you don't mind the extensive amount of reading and a complex money system that will be frustrating for the preschoolers who are the intended audience of the Littlest Pet Shop toys-- this responsive pet simulation may hold your child's interest. This title is one of three in a series of similarly designed titles for the Nintendo DS. After you are introduced to three starter pets, you can explore in one of three worlds depending on the title -- in this case a jungle -- where you earn Kibble Coins by either finding them or by playing one of the 15 arcade-like games. The coins are used to purchase pet accessories. Content includes 32 animals and 100 accessories such as hats, glasses and collars. There are three similarly designed DS versions available: Winter, Jungle, and Garden -- each with different pets, but nearly identical games, such as Dash N Dig and Bubble Bounce, a breakout-style game where you try to keep Kibble Coins in the air by blowing bubbles with the stylus. Some of the games can be shared using the DS wireless game sharing as long as the other player has a copy of the game. The skills required to play the game are poorly matched with the audience likely to be attracted to the toy. Borrow it or bag it.
$30, Nintendo DS
Teaches: reading, memory, money, matching, classification, timing, some logic
CTR Rating: 80%