Hello Kitty Bubblegum Girlfriends (Windows, Mac)

HELLO KITTY BUBBLEGUM GIRLFRIENDS is a collection of eight casual games for kids between the ages of 7 and 11. Most of the games are variations of popular titles. One of the more unique games is called "Crazy Cookie Race," where players match cookie shapes to baking tins, sort decorated cookies, and add needed ingredients to dough recipes -- all at the same time.

"Cup Cake Trampoline" is a variation of "Pong" but instead of a ball bouncing up to break through a wall, this variation involves a little squirrel who bounces up to eat cupcakes, ice cream, and other goodies. Kids can also play a charming variation on golf called "Tea Cup Croquet" where they aim balls through wickets and use teacups as bumpers. A couple of the games resemble the popular balloon-popping games in which same-colored balloons pop and disappear when kids maneuver them next to each other.

Because the games are easy, when kids lose a level, they want to play again to prove that they can beat it. Another plus is that this software plays well with friends. Because the games are short, and each tallies a score, friends and even parents can easily compete to see if they can better each other's score. And while these games are targeted at girls, little brothers will enjoy them as well.

For $20, you get several enjoyable, multilevel games, but this collection also has some trade-offs. The instructions for these games are written and somewhat complicated. Testers found they had to read the instructions, try to play the game, and then re-read the instructions before they could figure out how to play some of games. What's more, the game collection has no capability to keep track of high scores from one play session to the next.