Pajama Sam: Don't Fear the Dark (E)

Charming game about overcoming common kid fear.

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details

Publisher: Majesco
Genre: Video Games - Role Playing Games
Release Date: 08/26/2008
Online Enabled: No
ESRB Rating: E
ESRB Explanation: everyone
Price: $19.99

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a remake of the award-winning 1996 Humongous Entertainment software title Pajama Sam in: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside. While not as interactive as most Wii games, this game delivers an engaging story with gameplay that teaches kids logical thinking. Sam is a young boy that is a good role model for little kids because he is clever at solving problems, always polite with others, and always faces down his fears. One minigame requires you to answer geography and science questions appropriate for first and second graders.

Families can talk about things that scare you and how you go about dealing with those fears. Are you too afraid of the dark and what is lurking in your closet? If you pretend you are a superhero, does it help you to tackle fearful situations? What else can you do to overcome your fears?

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

Pajama Sam is a great role model because he is polite to everyone, creative, and willing to face his fears.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Educational Value:

Gameplay requires kids to use logical thinking and memory skills.

Violence

Sex

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Jinny Gudmundsen

PAJAMA SAM: DON'T FEAR THE DARK for the Wii is a remake of the 1996 award-winning computer game from Humongous Entertainment. Kids join Sam, a footed-pajama clad little boy, as he ventures into the depths of his scary closet to find and confront Darkness. To gain the courage to go into the Land of Darkness (his closet), Sam transforms himself into superhero Pajama Sam by donning a red cape and mask and carrying his trusty lunchbox and flashlight. His closet is depicted as a beautifully drawn dark world where baseball bats grow out of the ground, inanimate objects talk, and carrots rally to form the Salad Liberation Front to free fellow vegetables from the confines of the refrigerator.

Kids play the game by pointing the Wii remote as the screen and clicking the "A" button on objects to make them animate or talk. You can also pick up certain objects by pointing-and-clicking. You direct where Pajama Sam goes by pointing to pathways and arrows that show up on the screen. As you meet charming anthropomorphized characters, you will find that they need your help with logic problems before they can help you to find Darkness.

Is it any good?

What makes this game so much fun to explore is that the characters and settings are so imaginative. You will meet a boat who is afraid of the water and a refrigerator who sings opera.

But this game is basically a port of the PC game to the Wii. Majesco has not spent any time developing new gameplay that would use the unique Wii motion-sensitive controllers. There are very few minigames, and your interaction is simply point and click. Even so, this is a captivating adventure for young children because the Pajama Sam story is so strong. It feels as if you are playing inside a Saturday morning cartoon.