Toy Story 3 (DS) (Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi)

The DS version of TOY STORY 3 follows the same plotline as the movie that inspired it (the film's plot is a more pivotal aspect of the DS game than it is to the console versions of Toy Story 3). When Andy gets ready to go off to college, his toys end up at a day care center, where they make new acquaintances and eventually attempt an escape. The action in the game alternates between 3-D platform-jumping and object-hunting levels, and strategy-based tower defense games. In those strategic levels, players erect toy defenses (plunger darts, ball pits, etc.) to protect their home base from an army of opposing toys.

The story-based action levels of Toy Story 3 (DS) are long and creatively designed. They're heavy on platform jumping, but include some very imaginative steps along the way, like swinging from balloon strings and boucing along darts in a wall. Some neat fantasy segments take you into the more "realistic" sci-fi world of Buzz Lightyear or the Wild West world of Woody, where the action picks up pace and changes focus to dodging obstacles, and in Buzz's case, shooting (though not in a graphic way). It's a nice change of pace when it comes. The strategy levels -- which can be also played individually, outside of the story mode -- are a real treat, offering a kid-friendly incarnation of the classic "tower defense" type of video game. Just seeing the different types of toy "attackers" is part of the fun, as there was a whole lot of imagination put into the design of these games.

Online interaction: This game connects to Disney's online social community, D-Gamer, where kids can create avatars and send messages to one another in a supervised environment. In the game, kids can win many, many prizes for use in the D-Gamer world, mostly in the form of costumes and accessories for their avatars.