Ratatouille (Leapster version) (Leapster)

Young children who enjoyed the movie Ratatouille but are too young to play the Ratatouille console video games can play with Remy in educational games for ages 4 to 7 for the Leapster. In RATATOUILLE, kids join Remy in Paris for five cute educational games that teach reading, spelling, and food facts. Four of the games can be played on three levels of difficulty, each of which roughly correlates to preschool, kindergarten, and first grade in terms of the educational material presented.

In the sewers of Paris, children steer Remy's raft as he grabs letters. In the kitchen of Gusteau's restaurant, kids help Remy collect ingredients that have letters needed to spell words. Other games require sorting foods by attributes and matching apartment windows by sounds, shapes, letters, opposites, and other age-appropriate categories. Kids earn recipes they can make by using the touch screen of the Leapster to stir, break eggs, and follow other directions, and they can try creating their own.

To kids, the games are simply fun; but parents will appreciate the hidden educational agenda. The mechanics are well thought out for young children, and the games offer tutorials when children are struggling. Kids won't fail at these games, because the gameplay simply redirects them to the correct choice. Ratatouille looks and plays well on the Leapster.