Boogie SuperStar

What’s the Story?

Designed primarily for tween girls, BOOGIE SUPERSTAR can best be described as two games in one: a dancing game, where you shake the Wii remote to the beat of music to rack up points, and a karaoke game, where you sing into a microphone (included) and are judged on pitch and rhythm. Unlike last year's lackluster Boogie , which was plagued with control issues, unfocused music selection, and repetitive gameplay, this new version by EA Montreal is better.

At the start of the game, you're "discovered" and whisked away to a secret island to learn how to perform like a real star. After you customize your character's appearance (no disco-loving pink alien that was the star of the first Boogie) and tweak your singing and dancing skills, you can perform solo or with a friend. In the Dance mode, you must hold the Wii remote in your right hand and follow the prompts to move in time with the music, so that your character can perform cool dance sequences and earn points. Too bad the Wii Balance Board isn't supported, as originally rumored. The microphone must be used in the Karaoke mode as you sing along with songs by reading the onscreen lyrics. Don't worry -- you don't have to be a very good singer to see encouraging words flash on the screen.

Is It Any Good?

Tween girls who are into singing and dancing to pop music will get a kick out of this game. Song selection includes many contemporary pop hits from the likes of Britney Spears, Kanye West, Rihanna, Fergie, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys and Natasha Bedingfield, along with some techno dance tracks, too. For parents who want to avoid all sexually suggestive lyrics, this is not a good fit. But since most of the offensive language is muted out, Boogie SuperStar is an enjoyable "girls night in" for tweens and young teens ages 11 and above. The controls are tighter than last year's version, and the whole sci-fi alien theme that didn't quite work in the original has been replaced with a create-your-character and try to be a star theme. Boogie SuperStar allows tweens to sing along and move to music they really enjoy.