Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is one of very few Nintendo DS games that actually talks to children. They do not need to read to play this game, making it accessible to children as young as 4. But the games are fun enough that even a 10-year-old will enjoy it. Parents of the youngest gamers should gauge their child's ability to play a game where a lion jumps on a zebra in a maze to devour them. There is no blood (the zebra just disappears) but the lion roars before it pounces. You can simply steer clear of this version of the "Maze Munch" choosing to play as a clownfish, skunk, or chameleon instead.
Families can talk about the 25 animals showcased in this game. Kids will be learning a lot of facts about these animals and how to sort them, so parents might want to ask questions about how certain animals are the same or different. Which of the four games is your favorite to play and why?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
Kids who love wild animals will have a heyday with the new ANIMAL GENIUS game for the Nintendo DS. And parents will be excited as well, because this is one of the few truly educational titles for kids on the Nintendo DS.
Animal Genius combines wacky animal facts, entertaining fast-paced animal games, and photo-realistic graphics to make this into an outstanding video game for kids. Plus all directions, words, and identifications have voiceovers, so young kids who aren't yet reading can play. It is very rare to find a Nintendo DS game that talks to you.
The game is themed around earning 25 animals -- five animals to place in each of five habitats. Kids select the rainforest, arctic, woodlands, ocean, or grasslands; and once there, they play games to get points. Once you have earned enough points (animals cost from 25 up to 125 points), you can place the earned animal in its habitat.
Kids repeatedly play four fun games in any order they wish. In the game called "Scratch & See," kids see a blank gray screen. By moving the DS stylus back and forth across the screen, kids "scratch" away part of the gray mask to uncover part of an animal. Kids must deduce which animal they are viewing from the traits they can see. The game then asks them to select the correct animal from a list of four.
The "Maze Munch" game lets children become a lion, a clownfish, a skunk, or a chameleon to travel through a maze. When playing as the clownfish or the skunk, they need to gather food while avoiding predators. Playing as the lion may be a little disturbing to younger children, because you chase zebras, pounce on them, and devour them (no blood is shown, but you do hear a loud "roar").
"Matchomatic" has kids matching animals to specific traits, such as the body covering or the type of tail. Kids use the stylus to select an animal on the lower screen and then fling it up into one of two circles on the top screen that shows the correct trait.
The "Creature Collector" game uses the fast pace of flashing animal pictures to create excitement about classifying animals. For example, the game might ask for all animals that have whiskers. As a variety of animals flash on the lower screen, kids tap those with the requisite trait.
After kids have earned enough points, they must answer correctly ten questions about the earned animal before it is released into the featured habitat.
The game also adds excitement by periodically triggering an "animal alert" which sends kids scrambling into the habitats to find an animal that has wandered into the wrong environment. You may find a raccoon in the middle of the ocean!
This is a fabulous way to introduce children to 25 animals. The games make children think by having them sort and classify animals based on their traits. The maze game teaches kids about how animals fit into the food chain. And the trivia game teaches them interesting facts about each animal.
A similar version of this game was released in 2006 for the Leapster. If you own Animal Genius (Leapster), this DS version is not all that different. But if you are new to this game, Animal Genius makes a great addition to any child's Nintendo DS library. Another DS game that can be played by young children is Miss Spider's Harvest Time Hop and Fly. For a good kindergarten software title, look at JumpStart World Kindergarten.
Reviewed: 11/19/2007
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ViolenceIn the "Maze Munch" game, a game that teaches about the food chain, you can be a lion who pounces on zebras to devour them. No blood is shown and the zebras simply fade away, but the lion roars ferociously before he pounces. |
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Educational ValueKids learn about animals' habitats, characteristics, and behavior. Kids must also use skills -- such as deduction -- to win games. |
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