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JumpStart Pet Rescue

(2009, Video Games - Educational, Rated EC, Play it on: Nintendo Wii)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 3, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 5.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Educational game best for kindergartners, not preschoolers.

In this game kids can:   create an avatar, play in a virtual world, play music, race, solve puzzles

Why We Rated This on for Ages 5 and Up

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    This game is difficult for 3- and 4-year olds to play, even though they are part of the targeted audience of ages 3 to 6. Instead of having intuitive controls that use the motion-sensing abilities of the Wii, this game makes navigating overly burdensome. Kids have to point at the screen, hit the "A" button, and then wait for their avatar to walk to where they pointed. The camera angle can also become blocked by the avatar; and the game has long load times when entering buildings or new areas. This game is best played by 5- and 6-year olds even though the learning games are appropriate for 3- and 4-year olds.

  • Educational value:

    This is a learning adventure that is all about playing a collection of educational minigames that help preschoolers to learn about the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, follwing directions, and more.

  • Messages:

    The Jumpstart animal friends deliver many positive messages throughout the game. They range from the importance of learning something new every day to practical advice including reminding the player to brush their teeth twice a day.

  • Role models:

    All of the Jumpstart characters are great role models. Each character has different interests ranging from art to math to reading and everything in between. The characters are so excited about learning that their attitude becomes contagious.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of JumpStart Pet Rescue was written by Jinny Gudmundsen

Parents need to know that this is an educational gaming title on the Wii. Unfortunately, it has difficult controls for the youngest of the targeted audience of 3-to 6-year-olds, making it a better fit for kids ages 5 and 6. The educational games are solid and the adventures within the game are fun, but the game doesn't take much advantage of the Wii's motion-sensing controls.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about whether it is more fun to play in the Story Mode where the Jumpstart animal friends join you on your adventure, or in the Explore Mode where you can wander and discover surprises in this vast virtual world?
  • Do you like changing the look of your avatar? Did you feel like it looked like you?
Did this review help you decide?
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More on JumpStart Pet Rescue

What’s the Story?

JUMPSTART PET RESCUE is an educational gaming title for kindergartners on the Wii. Kids create their own avatar to explore five different interconnected neighborhoods while searching for some missing pets. In the Story Mode, kids go on missions and complete tasks as directed by animal residents of this world. Many of the missions involve going to the Learning House to play educational games. These games cover the preschool and kindergarten skills of learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, following directions, sorting, matching, and differentiating attributes. Other learning games can be found sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods including fishing for fish that are a specific color, and finding gold stars by listening to music. Kids can adopt a pet, design a house, and choose what their avatar looks like. Close

Is It Any Good?

The educational activities are excellent. Unfortunately, the controls aren't. This is a game targeted at kids ages 3-6, but the method of interacting with the screen is not intuitive to preschoolers. Instead of simply tilting the Wii to make your avatar move as was done in Go Diego Go: Safari Rescue, here kids have to point, press the "A" button, and then wait for their avatar to move where they pointed. Kids ages 5 and 6 should be able to navigate the game, but even so, the game doesn't make good use of the Wii remote's motion-sensing abilities. Plus, at times your avatar blocks your ability to see where to go.

For kids ages 5 and 6, there is a lot of explore. JumpStart Pet Rescue presents a magical 3D world full of sparkling ponds in which to swim, rivers to race down, zipwire rides to experience, and lots of charming animal characters with which to interact. For kids who need direction, the Story Mode provides great motivation to play the educational games. The Explore Mode is more open-ended and lets kids to wander to find all the delightful surprises this world offers.

Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 8/1/2009, price $39.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: EC (for (No Descriptors))

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