Dora Puppy
© 2009 2K Play
Designed specifically for Dora-loving preschoolers, this well-designed one player Nintendo DS title uses the DS microphone, enabling a child to offer commands or praise to Perrito, Dora's puppy. While it suffers from too many instructions and an excessively chirpy Dora, it is generally fun and easy to use. In addition, the overall theme of taking care of a puppy works like magic. After you choose one of the three game save slots, you can start playing with your puppy by clicking on the map icon. There's a bathroom where you can feed and bathe him, or a dressing room where you can dress him up with hats and shirts. If you go outside, you can lead him through obstacle courses by tracing a path with the stylus. To feed Perrito, you scribble on a bag of dog food. Unfortunately, there's little casual relationship between your scribbles and the rate in which the food falls out, giving the entire experience a rather numbed feeling. Still, a child's imagination can fill in the blanks. Other noteworthy games include a Tug of War game (scribble on the rope to pull) and a bubble blowing game where you blow into the DS microphone to fill the screen with bubbles. Completing a game earns dog biscuits, which can be used to buy new items that unlock more games. Your ultimate goal is to win the Big Puppy Competition. It is important to note that your puppy can't die, but he does become sad or hungry, both easily fixed with a bath or a meal. All in all, this is a solid title that isn't perfect, but isn't bad, either. Borrow or buy it.
$30, Nintendo DS
Teaches: logic, matching, graphs, taking care of animals
CTR Rating: 86%