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

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.

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.

Available on: Nintendo Wii
Not available online
Genre: Role Playing
Developer: Majesco
Released on: August 26, 2008
Price: 19.99
ESRB Rating: E for everyone