LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS)

My bright 4 year old wanted to play games as his older cousins do, but was bored by many of the more age appropriate games. I didn't want him to play games that depict realistic violence, however. Lego Star Wars was a great fit for us! When a character is hit, it simply falls into smaller Lego pieces so no gore, the game offers extensive gameplay from unlocking free play and acquiring additional characters, which prevents boredom (and the need to purchase new games!), and another player can join or drop out easily for either help or monitoring or just for fun. I see educational aspects as well. My son cannot yet write his name without help, but he can use the Wii controllers to play the game, and his writing has improved as a consequence. He is just learning to read and do basic math, but he has no problem saving up the Lego World money (Studs) to purchase in-game extras. He hasn’t been taught geography formally yet, but has memorized the layout of the levels and knows which way to go to get what. He can tell you the basic storyline of each level, name all of the dozens of characters he has earned or purchased and describe their attributes, and sets personal goals for each session. Some of the most powerful characters are baddies, which may cause some concerns, but in our family we simply use that as a springboard for discussion. All in all I am pleased with this game, and have had fun playing it with him